THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

IN  MEMORY  OF 
MRS.  VIRGINIA  B.  SPORER 


£> 

7s' 


HEINK1CH   HEINE    WHEN   A   STUDENT   AT   GOTTINUEN, 
From  n  drawing: by  n  college  mate. 


THE  FAMILY  LIFE 


HEINRICH  HEINE 


One  Hundred  and  Twenty-two  Family  Letters 

of  the  Poet  hitherto  unpublished 

from  his  College  Days 

to  his  Death 


BY   HIS   NEPHEW 

BARON  LUDWIG  VON  EMBDEN 


FROM   THE   GERMAN    BY 

CHARLES  DE  KAY 


WITH    FOUR  PORTRAITS 


NEW  YORK 

CASSELL   PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
104  &  106  FOURTH  AVENUE 


COPYRIGHT,  1892,  BY 
CASSELL  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 


A II  rights  reserved. 


THE  MKRSHON   COMPANY   PRI 
RAHWAY,  N.   J. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  ENGLISH 
TRANSLATION. 


THE  first  collection  of  the  works  of  Heinrich 
Heine  in  seven  volumes  was  published  in 
America  in  1865,  closely  followed  by  the  com- 
plete works  in  twenty  volumes  issued  by  Messrs. 
Hoffman  &  Campe  of  Hamburg.  As  early  as 
1855  a  translation  of  the  "  Reisebilder "  by 
Charles  G.  Leland  appeared  in  Philadelphia,  and 
in  1864  the  "  Buch  der  Lieder."  A  selection  of 
his  songs  and  ballads  translated  by  Emma  Laza- 
rus, a  poetess  whose  end  was  in  some  respects 
like  that  of  the  Jewish  poet,  appeared  in  New 
York  in  1881,  and  another  selection  translated  by 
Frances  Helman  has  just  made  its  appearance. 
It  is  therefore  likely  that  a  translation  of  the 
familiar  letters  of  Heine  addressed  chiefly  to  his 
mother  and  sister  will  find  readers  on  this  side 
of  the  Atlantic. 


2043377 


PREFACE. 


It  would  be  indeed  strange  if  so  modern  a 
thinker  and  one  who  in  some  respects  stands 
with  the  first  in  German  literature  should  fail  to 
remain  a  figure  of  uncommon  picturesqueness 
and  to  challenge  the  interest  of  those  who  regard 
as  antiquated  his  views  of  the  struggle  between 
the  people  and  the  privileged  classes.  It  is 
not  only  as  a  literary  star  of  the  first  bright- 
ness, but  as  captain  in  the  battle  America  has 
been  fighting  for  more  than  one  century,  that 
Heine  claims  o-ur  sympathies. 

The  letters  are  not  literary  at  all.  Always  a 
foe  to  fine  writing  in  his  letters  home,  Heine  was 
often  loose  in  construction  and  sometimes  un- 
grammatical,  but  at  the  same  time  his  German 
is  racy.  They  reflect  the  hopes  and  needs  of 
the  man,  his  attitude  of  mind  toward  money,  his 
wife,  household,  publishers,  friends,  enemies  and 
relatives.  They  are  Heine  in  his  well  moments 
seated  beneath  his  vine,  making  sly  fun  of  Ma- 
thilde  and  Cocotte  the  parrot,  or  Heine  on  his 
invalid's  chair,  spluttering  fiercely  against  a 
brother  who  has  blundered  while  negotiating  with 
old  Campe  the  publisher.  Broad  wit  is  not  ab- 
sent, a  sort  of  wit  that  recalls  Rabelais  rather 


PREFACE. 


than  Sterne  ;  but  the  editor  of  these  letters  has 
suppressed  more  than  he  has  allowed  to  stand. 
Heine  was  often  the  victim  of  slanderers  of  the 
true  Germanic  sort  who  invented  and  garbled 
with  a  heavy  hand.  The  letters  permit  us  to 
light  up  many  an  obscure  corner  and  at  least  ap- 
proach a  separation  of  fantastic  matter  from  facts 
in  Heine's  essays  in  autobiography.  Here  and 
there  are  keen  thrusts  like  those  which  have  en- 
deared him  to  people  who  can  laugh  when  a 
hand  which  is  light  on  the  sword-grasp  pierces 
a  dullard  ;  but  now  and  then  the  same  hand  is 
caught  swinging  a  club  or  hurling  a  stone, 
for  all  the  world  like  a  naughty  boy  in  the 
street. 

In  presenting  us  with  the  "eternal  womanly" 
Goethe  served  the  world  well,  but  he  failed  to 
leave  us  an  equivalent  phrase  for  the  "  eternal 
Jewish,"  a  question  that  is  always  with  us.  At 
a  moment  when  that  cheerful  practice  of  the 
middle  ages,  Jew-baiting,  seems  revived  in  Ger- 
many, these  letters  are  not  inopportune. 
Nations  that  call  themselves  Teutonic  make 
much  of  home-love  and  of  the  constancy  of  the 
domestic  affections  among  themselves,  which 


Vi  PREFACE. 


they  credit  to  race;  it  is  therefore  well  in 
the  case  of  so  conspicuous  a  genius  as  Heine 
to  note  that  his  intimate  life  is  a  witness  to  the 
repute  of  Jews  as  husbands,  fathers,  uncles,  sons. 
It  may  be  that  the  domestic  virtues  so  clearly 
and  naturally  shown  in  them  will  do  something 
to  disarm  the  wrath  of  people  who  may  have 
good  reason  to  deplore  the  result  of  some  con- 
test between  Aryan  and  Semitic  wits. 

Yet  certain  foibles  which  are  so  common  in 
Jews  that  they  may  be  called  racial  are  not  want- 
ing. While  striving  to  gain  two  chief  ends,  the 
certainty  of  a  sufficient  pension  to  allow  him  to 
live  in  Paris,  and,  later,  a  support  for  his  wife 
after  his  death,  he  shows  in  these  letters  the 
suppleness,  the  tendency  to  quick  temper  and 
the  readiness  for  ruthless  revenge  which  many 
Jews  exhibit  to-day  and  for  which  the  Bible  is 
one  long  precedent. 

If  it  were  not  so  sad  it  were  almost  comical  to 
trace  here  the  methods  Heine  used  in  order  to 
bring  pressure  to  bear  on  his  rich  uncle  Salomon 
Heine  and  on  that  uncle's  heir  through  the 
poet's  mother  and  sister  living  in  Hamburg ;  his 
way  of  forcing  the  publisher  to  better  terms,  and 


PREFACE, 


his  ill-concealed  threats  to  publish  what  his 
cousins  wished  suppressed.  There  is  something 
ghoulish  in  Heine  hoarding  an  assortment  of 
family  skeletons,  to  rattle  them  now  and  then 
and  so  keep  his  well-to-do  relatives  alive  to  the 
fact  that  he  was  not  dead  yet. 

But  against  this  slipperiness  of  the  poet  his 
love  of  mother  and  sister  shine  all  the  brighter. 
There  is  no  underthought  here  ;  here  no  wires 
are  pulled.  The  fascination  which  his  genius 
and  sorrowful  later  life  have  always  exercised 
is  not  lessened  when  we  find  him  striving  by 
an  elaborate  edifice  of  lies  and  mystifications 
to  keep  his  old  mother  ignorant  of  his  frightful 
condition,  and  then,  as  soon  as  he  is  sufficiently 
at  ease  to  afford  it,  presenting  sister  and  nieces 
with  Paris  gowns. 

Many  things  that  Aryans  attribute  to  the 
Jews  are  not  at  all  racial,  but  merely  common 
to  humanity.  It  does  seem,  however,  that  the 
peculiar  mixture  of  generosity  and  meanness 
reflected  from  Heine's  character  in  these  letters 
is  typical  of  the  race.  While  poor  he  was  for- 
ever wailing  over  his  wife's  extravagance  (my 
squanderer  was  the  constant  nickname  he  gave 


viii  PREFACE. 


her)  yet  he  adored  her,  was  only  happy  when 
she  was  near,  labored  for  her  alone  and  as  soon 
as  he  had  a  fair  income  gave  fine  gifts  to 
those  he  loved. 

His  will,  translated  from  the  French  in 
the  appendix,  contains  a  statement  of  the 
chief  object  of  his  life.  This  was  to  work  for 
a  removal  of  the  barriers  of  prejudice  between 
France  and  Germany,  which  had  been  strength- 
ened by  the  Napoleonic  wars  and  in  nowise 
weakened  by  subsequent  events. 

That  this  was  not  an  idea  which  grew  up  dur- 
ing his  illness  appears  from  the  short  sketch  of 
his  life  which  Heine  sent  to  Philarete  Chasles 
in  1835: 

"  So  far  as  concerns  the  Teutomaniacs,  those 
German  old  women,  whose  patriotism  consists 
merely  in  a  blind  hatred  of  France,  I  have  pur- 
sued them  with  acrimony  in  all  my  writings. 
This  is  an  animosity  which  dates  from  the  time 
of  the  college  fraternity  (Burschenshaff]  to  which 
I  belonged." 

Indeed  Heine  of  Diisseldorf  as  a  boy  was  for 
many  years  under  the  French  flag;  he  had  only 
the  most  delightful  memories  of  the  French  oc- 


PREFACE.  IX 


cupation  and  he  always  admired  Napoleon  the 
Great.  In  this  he  was  by  no  means  alone  among 
Germans.  Here  we  find  him  using  French 
words  and  phrases  and  have  his  own  evi- 
dence to  prove  that  success  in  France  founded 
his  literary  and  financial  success  in  Germany. 
Therefore  he  was  well  prepared  for  the  task  of 
reconciling  the  French  and  Germans,  better  pre- 
pared than  Matthew  Arnold  was  at  a  later  date 
when  he  tried  to  soften  the  rooted  dislike  of 
the  Briton  for  the  Frank. 

Germans,  however,  never  forgave  Heine  for  the 
ridicule  he  cast  on  them,  for  the  atrocious  and 
often  true  things  he  said  of  them  as  they  were 
in  the  earlier  half  of  the  present  century.  The 
monument  in  his  memory  planned  for  Diisseldorf 
was  not  built,  although  the  Empress  of  Austria,  a 
member  of  that  royal  family  of  Bavaria  which 
he  had  so  virulently  lampooned  in  the  person 
of  Ludwig  I,  was  an  active  patroness  of  the 
movement. 

Mr.  von  Embden,  to  whom  we  owe  these  letters 
in  their  present  shape,  speaks  of  the  unification 
of  Germany  as  if  Heine  would  have  applauded  it. 
But  surely  ao  man  would  have  stood  more  aghast 


PREFACE. 


at  a  result  which  puts  his  hated  Prussians  in  com- 
mand, continues  the  existence  of  kings,  prince- 
lets  and  Junkerthum,  justifies  the  insolence  of 
professional  soldiers  and  has  carried  to  an  extra- 
ordinary degree  the  old  tension  between  French- 
men and  Germans. 

Indeed,  as  we  see  it  now,  not  the  least  tragic 
part  of  Heine's  life  is  the  failure  of  his  work  in 
this  regard.  But  idolized  Goethe  could  not  have 
accomplished  that  task,  much  less  one  whose 
calm  was  anything  but  Olympian,  whose  pen 
dropped  gall,  who  was  a  member  of  an  envied 
and  detested  race  and  whose  residence  in  France 
gave  apparent  countenance  to  charges  of  cow- 
ardice and  want  of  patriotism. 

Heine  had  his  own  courage  and  his  own  pa- 
triotism ;  they  were  not  of  a  very  lofty  kind,  but 
are  shown  in  his  satires  on  the  Germans.  His 
impish  wit,  his  quick  turns  to  escape  the 
cudgel  wielded  by  the  Deutscher  Michel  are 
amusing;  but  to  the  Michael  of  Germany 
it  must  have  seemed  that  they  were  meant, 
not  so  much  to  reform  him  as  to  amuse  his 
old  enemies,  the  "  Franz-hosen,"  as,  with  a 
play  upon  their  supposed  love  of  personal 


PREFACE. 


adornment,  Michael  of  Germany   loves   to   call 
the  French. 

The  mention  of  Matthew  Arnold  will  suffice 
to  recall  his  Essays  in  Criticism  and  the  appre- 
ciation he  showed  of  Heine's  work  in  life.  He 
calls  the  "  Romanzero  "  "  a  collection  of  poems 
written  in  the  first  years  of  his  illness  with  his 
whole  power  and  charm  still  in  them."  But 
Heine  himself,  we  know  now,  considered  it 
inferior  work  produced  after  his  powers  had 
been  weakened.  Writing  to  his  mother  in  De- 
cember 1851  he  says:  "  I  assure  you  it  is  a  very 
weak  book — but  nobody  must  say  so.  I  wrote 
it  with  my  powers  broken."  Had  Matthew 
Arnold  written  his  essay  after  the  publication 
of  Carlyle's  diary,  he  would  have  found  a  parallel 
between  these  two  singular  spirits,  their  railing, 
and  their  unhappy  later  lives,  but  also  much  to 
serve  as  contrast ;  for  Heine  was  at  once  poet 
and  clear  thinker  up  to  a  certain  point,  while 
Carlyle  was  a  prose  master  whose  brain  was  far 
from  clear.  Both  had  points  of  resemblance 
in  external  matters  and  both  attacked  hum- 
bugs to  the  best  of  their  ability.  But  it 
may  be  said  that  of  the  two  it  was  Heine 


PREFACE. 


who  seems  to  have  had  a  suspicion  that  he 
himself  was  at  times  more  or  less  of  a  hum- 
bug. He  took  himself  less  seriously  than 
Carlyle. 

When  we  would  grapple  with  the  secret  of 
his  genius,  however,  Heine  proves  evasive.  We 
see  him  studying  English  literature,  translating 
Byron,  popularizing  the  chief  men  and  women  in 
Shakspere's  plays  and  catching  a  distinct  whiff  of 
the  manner  of  Lawrence  Sterne  in  his  prose.  He 
calls  Sterne  somewhere  the  born  equal  of  Shak- 
spere.  We  then  see  him  exploring  Spanish 
literature  and  repeating  in  German  the  simple 
lilt  of  the  old  Spanish  ballads.  But  his  real 
attraction  does  not  lie  in  the  colors  which  he 
took  on  so  easily  and  used  for  his  own  purpose 
with  so  much  nctivett  and  skill.  It  was  not  his 
criticism  of  pictures  or  books  or  philosophy  that 
made  people  care  for  his  work;  it  was  the 
peculiar  quality  of  the  Weltschmerztinak  rose  from 
his  verse  and  prose — sweet,  but  with  a  sugges- 
tion of  death,  like  jasmine  flowers  too  long  im- 
prisoned in  their  box.  It  is  this  taint  which  set 
Heine  apart  from  other  writers  and  makes  him 
so  much  relished  by  thousands  who  possibly 


PREFACE. 


may  be  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  origin  of 
their  pleasure. 

It  is  true  that  Heine  was  not  a  well  man  even 
when  young;  we  perceive  that  from  the  letters 
now  published  written  while  at  the  universities. 

Rewrote  to  Philarete  Chasles  in  1835:  "My 
studies,  interrupted  by  romantic  moods,  by 
endeavors  to  establish  myself,  by  love  and  by 
other  sicknesses  were  continued  from  1819  on  at 
Bonn,  at  Gottingen  and  at  Berlin.  I  lived  four 
years  and  a  half  in  Berlin  where  I  was  in  friendly 
relations  with  the  most  remarkable  men  of  learn- 
ing and  where  I  was  afflicted  with  a  dagger 
stroke  in  the  loins  given  me  by  a  certain  Scheller 
from  Dantzic — whose  name  I  shall  never  forget, 
because  he  is  the  only  man  who  has  understood 
how  to  wound  me  in  the  most  poignant  fashion." 

But  the  peculiar  flavor  which  is  his  final  charm 
does  not  spring  from  his  health,  though  bad 
health  may  have  assisted  it.  Nor  can  we  sup- 
pose that  his  love  affair  in  extreme  youth  with  a 
cousin  in  Hamburg  was  the  moving  cause.  We 
must  look  to  the  race  of  which  he  is  so  brilliant 
an  ornament  for  an  explanation  that  is  ade- 
quate. 


PREFACE. 


Heine  was  neither  a  German  nor  a  Frenchman, 
least  of  all  a  Greek  as  he  fondly  imagined  him- 
self ;  he  was  a  Jew.  As  such  he  occupied  that 
position  apart  which  all  the  European  peoples 
feel  the  Jews  to  occupy  and  which  some  people 
openly  resent.  It  is  only  in  this  way  that  the 
extraordinary  phenomena  of  the  present  day  can 
be  explained — Jews  detested,  feared  and  perse- 
cuted in  Russia,  Jews  detested  still  and  feared 
in  Germany,  Jews  envied  if  not  so  generally 
detested  in  France.  It  is  unchristian  and 
wrong;  it  is  cowardly  if  you  will,  but  this  atti- 
tude of  large  numbers  of  men  in  Europe  is  a  fact 
and  a  force  which  were  far  better  acknowledged 
and  faced  than  explained  away  by  half  state- 
ments. It  was  this  feeling  toward  the  Jews, 
then  and  now  unaccountably  violent  in  Ger- 
many, it  was  this  feeling  acting  on  his  sensi- 
tive nerves  that  gave  its  peculiar  flavor  to  the 
Weltschmerz  one  tastes  in  Heine's  works. 

The  Jews  are  a  profoundly  uncomfortable  peo- 
ple who,  as  a  race — and  Heine  often  pointed  it 
out — are  far  removed  from  the  serenity  of  the 
Greeks  of  the  classic  period.  Circumstances  hav- 
ing to  do  with  their  past  as  well  as  the  present 


PREFACE.  XV 


force  them  to  seek  the  towns ;  only  when 
necessity  compels  are  they  dwellers  in  country 
parts.  Their  nimble  wits  give  them  a  distinct 
advantage  in  crowds ;  but  it  may  be  noted  that 
in  the  most  favorable  circumstances  they  are  the 
greatest  grumblers  on  earth ;  nothing  pleases  them, 
or  if  something  should,  their  keen  wit  sees  some 
advantage  in  pretending  they  are  dissatisfied. 
This  is  the  chief  reason,  and  probably  the  only 
reason,  for  the  attempts  made  in  America  to  ex- 
clude Jews  from  certain  hotels.  The  keepers  of 
hotels,  used  to  the  long-suffering,  abused  Chris- 
tian of  our  stripe,  cannot  put  up  with  people  who 
are  just  the  opposite, who  are  eternally  growling 
and  grumbling  at  prices,  the  quality  of  food  and 
service,  and  are  ever  looking  for  their  rights.  As 
if  our  public  had  any  rights  ! 

One  of  the  words  that  occur  most  frequently 
in  Heine's  familiar  letters  is  verdriesslich.  He 
is  always  out  of  patience  with  little  things. 
Yet — like  his  race  again — he  suffered  real  agony 
and  years  of  agony  with  a  constancy  and  pluck 
that  were  simply  heroic. 

Heine  has  in  his  published  works  a  strong 
feminine  element.  His  letters  to  the  family  in 


PREFACE. 


Hamburg  show  the  trait  even  more;  many 
sound  like  the  hasty  scrawl  of  a  young  girl  from 
her  boarding  school.  But  this  is  not  saying 
that  he  was  unmanly;  it  is  merely  trying  to 
define  the  man  by  bringing  a  certain  trait  into 
relief. 

Heine  had  many  bitter  quarrels  in  his  life  with 
members  of  his  family  and  others,  but  the  bit- 
terest was  with  another  Jew,  Ludwig  Borne.  The 
chapters  of  his  book  on  Borne  are  among  the  hap- 
piest,  funniest  and  most  ruthless,  nor  are  Jews 
by  any  means  the  last  to  enjoy  the  fun  he  had 
at  their  expense.  It  was  a  Jew  with  whom 
he  fought  that  duel  which  was  the  cause  of  his 
marrying,  just  before  the  affair,  the  young  French 
woman  with  whom  he  had  been  living  after  the 
fashion  of  the  Quartier  Latin.  As  with  his  bap- 
tism, so  with  his  marriage  :  the  laws  of  the  Chris- 
tians forced  him  to  give  up  a  Pagan  wedlock — 
or  shall  we  say  an  Oriental? — and  accept  the 
Christian  forms. 

His  self-centered  character,  rarely  given  to  ad- 
miring other  writers  who  were  contemporaries, 
appears  in  a  negative  way.  Though  it  is  certain 
he  knew  Beranger,  La  Fayette,  Victor  Hugo, 


PREFACE, 


George  Sand,  Th£ophile  Gautier  and  the  elde1* 
Dumas,  we  look  in  vain  through  these  letters 
for  a  mention  of  them.  Often  one  is  ready  to 
accuse  him  of  selfish  neglect  of  those  at  home,  so 
devoid  are  his  letters  of  descriptions  and  anec- 
dotes which,  had  he  taken  the  trouble  to  give 
them,  would  have  proved  a  godsend  to  the  Ham- 
burg home.  No  ;  early  in  life  after  graduation 
he  seems  to  have  written  himself  out  in  that 
sort  of  correspondence  ;  at  least  we  may  give 
him  the  benefit  of  the  doubt  and  suppose  that 
the  letters  home  which  were  burned  in  Ham- 
burg's conflagration  were  of  this  kind.  Later, 
of  course,  when  a  confirmed  invalid,  it  is  per- 
fectly  natural  that  he  should  have  little  leisure 
and  indeed  little  eyesight  to  amuse  his  old 
mother  and  his  sister. 

After  reading  these  letters  and  the  comments 
of  his  nephew,  sister,  brother  and  niece  which 
have  been  added  here  and  there,  one  finds  that 
Heine  remains  as  before  a  man  without  a  coun- 
try, a  partisan  rejected  of  all  political  parties, 
who  was  not  even  in  the  domain  of  religion 
either  a  Christian  or  Jew  or  philosopher,  and 
whose  one  effort  to  benefit  mankind  increased 


PREFACE. 


rather   than    lessened    the    national    hatred    it 
sought  to  remove. 

But  then  he  was  a  very  wonderful  poet.     Why 
ask  for  more  ? 

CHARLES  DE  KAY. 

NEW  YORK,  January  i,  1893. 


Footnotes  added  by  the  translator  are  marked  TR.,  and  refer  to 
the  popular  edition  in  twelve  volumes,  Heinrich  Heines  Sammt- 
liche  Werke  ;  Bibliothek  Ausgabe.  Hamburg  :  Hoffman  &  Campe. 


THE  FAMILY  LIFE  OF 

HEINRICH    HEINE 


THE  family  life  of  Heinrich  Heine  has  been 
falsely  depicted  in  various  ways  and  his  rela- 
tions to  his  nearest  kindred  have  been  often  woe- 
fully twisted.  Yielding  to  the  wishes  of  his 
many  admirers  and  in  order  that  the  character  of 
the  poet  might  be  estimated  with  more  exactness, 
my  mother,  now  well  on  in  years,  who  is  the  only 
sister  of  Heinrich  Heine,  has  laid  on  me  this  task. 
She  asks  that  his  letters  to  the  family  shall  be 
published  during  her  lifetime,  letters  which  she 
has  guarded  hitherto  as  a  precious  legacy  en- 
hanced by  all  the  memories  of  her  beloved 
brother. 

Throughout  his  entire  life  apart  from  his  fam- 
ily Heinrich  Heine  kept  up  a  regular  correspond- 
ence with  his  mother  and  sister,  but  with  his 
brothers  after  the  emigration  to  Paris  he  had 


2  FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

only  the  most  superficial  epistolary  connec- 
tion. 

Born  the  thirteenth  of  December  1799  at  Diis- 
seldorf,  Heinrich  Heine  died  the  seventeenth  of 
February  1856  in  Paris,  and  for  these  thirty-six 
years  past  has  lain  in  his  tomb  in  the  cemetery  of 
Montmartre. 

Since  the  departure  of  the  poet  how  many 
things  have  changed  and  what  tremendous  polit- 
ical revolutions  have  occurred  !  The  ideal  dreams 
of  the  future  which  he  cherished  have  come  true  ; 
gone  is  that  narrow  town-provincialism  with  its 
vexations  and  absolutism  that  so  often  roused 
his  gibes ;  and  a  newborn  Germany  has  bound  to- 
gether the  separate  states  into  a  great,  powerful 
nation. 

Heine's  satire  was  never  aimed  at  the  ideal,  but 
always  at  the  crude  remnants  of  individualism  and 
religious  intolerance,  especially  at  the  champions 
of  these  survivals  who  stood  out  against  the  im- 
pulse of  the  people  toward  progress.  The  poet's 
instinct  for  freedom  and  truth  inspired  him  to 
depict  with  irony  and  the  shrillest  colors  the 
discordant  shades  of  the  time  and  all  the  con- 
trasts and  contradictions  which  spring  from  a 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.  3 

narrow  view  of  the  world  ;  he  must  illumine  with 
his  humor  the  follies  of  society  and  relentlessly 
drive  them  back  into  the  caves  where  they  were 
born. 

Heine's  enemies  feel  themselves  hurt  down 
to  the  very  present  time  in  their  small-souled 
reactionary  views  by  the  work  he  accomplished 
so  long  ago.  Purposely  ignoring  his  zeal  as  a 
reformer,  they  judge  him  according  to  things  as 
they  now  exist,  and  cast  suspicion  on  his  pa- 
triotism. This  is  a  piece  of  fault-finding  all  the 
more  unjust,  since  in  his  verses  and  writings  the 
poet  often  bemoaned  his  exile  and  drew  a  pic- 
ture of  his  yearning  for  Germany  : 

Ah,  Germany,  far-off  and  dear, 
I  well  nigh  weep  at  thoughts  of  thee  ! 
Meseems  that  joyous  France  is  drear, 
Her  giddy  people  weary  me.* 

Samson  Heine,  father  of  the  poet,  was  born 
in  Hanover  in  1765  and  came  to  Diisseldorf  in 
1796;  there  he  learned  to  know  intimately  a 
notable  family,  the  Van  Gelderns,  and  on  the 
sixth  of  June  1798  he  married  their  daughter 

*  See  vol.  ii.  p.  So  of  the  edition  called  the  Bibliothek-Ausgabe. 
For  Heine's  sketch  of  his  father  see  vol.  v.  pp.  289-300. — TR. 


4  FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Betty.  From  this  wedlock  sprang  three  sons, 
Heinrich,  Gustav  and  Max,  and  one  daughter, 
Charlotte. 

Samson  Heine  established  his  hearth  in  Diis- 
seldorf,  and  it  is  quite  likely  that  the  house 
in  the  Volkerstrasse,  which  bears  the  marble 
memorial  plaque,  indicates  correctly  the  spot 
where  stood  the  dwelling  in  which  Heine  was 
born.  But  not  a  stone  remains  of  the  old  house, 
which  was  built  more  than  a  century  before ; 
twice  have  houses  been  torn  down  and  rebuilt 
there.  The  sister  of  Heine,  when  she  heard 
that  the  tenants  of  the  present  house  showed  to 
strangers,  as  the  birthplace  of  Heinrich  Heine, 
two  rooms  in  a  rear  building  in  the  nature  of  a 
stable  reached  by  a  narrow  ladder  for  poultry, 
declared  publicly  at  the  time  that  this  part  of 
the  house  was  never  used  at  all  by  her  parents 
and  the  poet's  cradle  could  never  have  stood 
there. 

After  he  had  passed  through  the  classes  of  the 
lyceum  at  Dusseldorf,  the  young  Heinrich,  whose 
intellectual  development  even  as  a  boy  gave  rise 
to  the  brightest  hopes,  was  destined  by  his 
parents,  but  against  his  own  inclination,  to  mer- 


FAMIL  V  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEItfE.  5 

cantile  pursuits.  After  several  attempts  which 
showed  no  results  the  parents  became  convinced 
that  he  had  poor  qualifications  for  this  career; 
then  they  yielded  to  his  wishes  and  allowed  him 
to  study.  Having  terminated  a  course  in  the 
"gymnasium"  preparatory  for  college,  he  en- 
tered Bonn  University  toward  the  end  of  the 
year  1819.  After  a  short  stay  in  Oldesloe  his 
family  emigrated  to  Liineburg,  and  after  this  pil- 
grimage his  sister  received  from  him  the  follow- 
ing letter: 

I 

BONN,  March  22,  1820. 
DEAR  LITTLE  CHARLOTTE  : 

I  rely  greatly  on  all  my  [home]  letters.  You 
must  write  me  how  all  things  are  with  you  there 
[at  Liineburg]  and  just  what  happened  when  you 
left  [Oldesloe].  The  hall  of  the  Musical  Society 
must  have  been  hung  with  black  crape  ;  I'm  sure 
that  for  a  fortnight  not  an  allegro  was  heard 
there — only  adagio.  And  then  the  streets — how 
dead  and  alive  must  they  be  now !  Did  you 
shed  tears  when  you  left  ?  How  did  you  get  on 
during  the  journey?  Many  a  night  have  I  sat 


6  FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

on  my  wooden  chair  and  mechanically  read  on 
in  my  big,  learned  books,  and  all  the  while  my 
thoughts  were  wandering  about  over  Liineburg 
Heath,  and  were  anxiously  looking  out  to  see : 
if  perchance  your  driver  were  not  asleep  ;  if  your 
wagon  were  really  on  the  right  track  ;  if  your 
wheel  had  not  broken. 

Are  you  worthy  that  I  should  so  love  you  ? 
HARRY  HEINE, 

stud,  juris. 

After  staying  a  year  in  Bonn,  Heinrich  went 
to  Gottingen,  and  the  year  after  sought  Berlin, 
where  in  1821  he  caused  himself  to  be  matric- 
ulated as  student  in  the  university.  He  read  law 
and  finance,  but,  notwithstanding  this  somewhat 
dry  work,  he  remained  true  to  his  poetic  instincts 
and  produced  songs  and  romances  in  abundance. 
His  sojourn  in  Berlin  and  his  intimate  relations 
with  the  best  literary  circles  of  the  capital  con- 
tinued to  develop  his  literary  activity.  His  pub- 
lications soon  roused  a  general  sensation,  and  at 
this  period  lies  the  beginning  of  his  fame  as  a 
poet. 

His  sister  Charlotte,  who  was  staying  in  Ham- 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.  7 

burg  at  the  house  of  her  uncle,  engaged  herself 
to  Moritz  Embden,  a  merchant  of  that  town,*  and 
as  a  sequel  to  a  joyous  festival  held  by  the 
family  to  honor  the  event,  the  latter  received  the 
following  epistle  : 

II 

BERLIN,  February  2,  1823. 
DEAR  EMBDEN : 

Your  letter  of  the  twenty-third  of  last  month 
has  filled  me  with  great  joy.  I  congratulate  you 
on  the  engagement  to  my  sister.  Although  the 
news  agitates  me  very  much,  certainly  far  more 
than  anyone  could  have  suspected,  yet  it  did  not 
come  upon  me  as  a  "  singular  whim  of  fate  "; 
rather  did  it  seem  to  me  a  fact  of  which  I  had 
long  been  aware,  and  indeed  known  many 
years  ago,  but  one  which  I  had  gradually  forgot 
during  the  storms  of  life  within  me  and  without. 

I  hope  that  you  and  my  sister  will  be  a  happy 
pair,  since  Lotta  is  perfectly  capable  of  feeling 
the  worth  of  your  character,  and  since  you  also 
understand  how  to  appreciate  the  character  of  my 

*  Moritz  Embden,  born  1790,  died  1866,  left  one  son  and  two 
daughters. 


8  FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

sister.  Moreover,  you  will  certainly  not  esteem 
too  much,  as  occurs  in  our  fine,  overcultured 
world,  a  one-sided  predominance  in  a  woman  of 
intellect,  or  of  heart,  or  of  body  ;  if  I  judge  you 
aright,  you  will  certainly  recognize  true  culture 
only  in  a  beautiful  balance  of  all  the  attributes 
of  the  soul  and  recognize  real  lovableness  in  a 
harmony  of  soul  and  body.  My  little  Lotta 
is  music — all  proportion  and  harmony  ...  a 
brother  need  not  forbear  to  utter  such  senti- 
ments to  the  bridegroom. 

The  political  portion  of  your  letter  has  pleased 
me  much.  I  am  glad  that  the  future  husband 
of  my  sister  is  not  a  revolutionist.  Moreover,  I 
find  it  most  natural  that  a  man  who  is  &  son  aise 
and  a  happy  bridegroom  too,  should  not  desire  the 
fall  of  existing  forms,  and  is  anxious  about  his 
quiet  and  that  of  Europe.  Other  circumstances 
govern  me,  and  besides,  I  feel  a  little  queer  when- 
ever I  read  by  chance  in  the  papers  that  a  few 
people  have  frozen  to  death  on  the  streets  of 
London,  a  few  persons  have  starved  to  death  in 
the  streets  of  Naples.  Still,  though  I'm  a 
Radical  in  England  and  a  Carbonaro  in  Italy, 
I  do  not  belong  to  the  demagogues  in  Germany, 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.  9 

for  the  entirely  fortuitous  and  insufficient  reason 
that  upon  the  victory  of  these  people  a  few 
thousand  Jewish  necks — and  just  the  best  ones 
of  all — would  be  promptly  sliced  off. 

Meantime  let  our  views  upon  the  events  of 
the  day  be  as  sharply  separated  as  they  will, 
or  even  quite  opposed  to  each  other,  I  am  never- 
theless convinced  that  this  will  not  exercise  in 
the  slightest  degree  an  unfriendly  pressure  on 
our  friendship  as  near  relatives,  which  even  at 
a  distance  (for  a  sullen  dislike  will  always  keep 
me  away  from  Hamburg)  will  often  brighten, 
teach  and  rest  me  by  genial  sympathy,  intelli- 
gent explanations  and  loving  stimulation ;  for  I 
live  ever  out  of  sorts  and  in  the  midst  of  error 
and  battle. 

H.  HEINE. 

Ill 

BERLIN,  May  3,  1823. 
DEAR  EMBDEN: 

I  have  your  letter  of  April  28  all  right  and 
hasten  to  fulfill  your  desire  to  see  my  tragedies 
at  the  same  time  that  I  have  the  honor  to 
send  you  the  inclosed  copy  as  a  proof  of  my 


10         FAMILY  LIFE  OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

regard.  May  the  booklet  find  a  welcome  in  your 
home  and  may  the  ethical  bases  of  the  matter 
not  be  ignored  by  you !  You  shall  read  in  this 
book  how  men  perish  and  races  of  men,  and 
yet  how  this  destruction  is  caused  and  controlled 
by  a  higher  necessity  and  has  been  purposely 
arranged  by  Providence  for  great  objects  and 
aims.*  The  true  poet  does  not  give  the  history 
of  his  own  times,  but  that  of  all  times,  and  for 
that  reason  a  true  poem  is  also  ever  a  mirror  of 
the  present. 

One  of  these  days  I'm  going  to  Liineburg, 
but  at  this  moment  I  am  very  malade  and 
write  these  lines  suffering  the  most  awful 
pains. 

I  send  you  hearty  greeting. 

H.   HEINE. 

Soon  after  the  marriage  of  his  sister,  which 
took  place  June  22,  1823,  Heine  went  to  Ritze- 
bttttel  for  his  health  in  order  to  take  sea  baths  in 
Cuxhaven,  because  he  had  contracted  nervous 
headaches  through  overwork. 

*  Heine's  "  William  Ratcliff,"  a  tragedy  in  one  act  (1822). 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          1 1 

IV 

RlTZEBUTTEL,  July  28,  1823. 

DEAR  LOTTA: 

Here  I  am  !  Can't  say  more  owing  to  wretched 
health.  I  shall  take  the  whole  cure  here.  About 
the  first  days  of  September  I  shall  be  through 
with  it.  If  a  letter  comes  for  me,  send  it  to  me 
addressed  H.  Heine  from  Berlin,  lodging  at  the 
Harmony  in  Ritzebuttel.  There  are  few  people 
here,  triste  and  ennuyant.  And  everything  fright- 
fully dear.  I  pay  out  daily  more  than  six  marks, 
and  it's  impossible  to  get  along  cheaper.  Notify 
mother  where  I  am.  Greetings  to  Moritz  and  to 
all  who  ask  after  me. 

If  you  can  write  me  something  to  brighten  me, 
do  let  me  hear ! 

Your  loving  brother 

H.   HEINE. 

Sea  baths  did  Heine's  health  good,  and  after 
a  short  stay  in  Hamburg  at  his  sister's  house 
he  went  on  to  Luneburg  for  a  visit  of  a  few 
months  to  his  parents. 


12         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

V 

LUNEBURG,  September  15,  1823. 
DEAR  BROTHER-IN-LAW  AND  SISTER: 

Yesterday  evening  I  reached  here  sound  and 
well,  and  have  found  my  dear  parents  sound  and 
well  also. 

I  left  Hamburg  at  one  o'clock — good  weather 
and  a  quick  passage.  Here  is  the  same  old 
grumpy  Liineburg,  seat  of  boredom  !  Little  Ami* 
was  quite  beside  himself  with  joy  !  Mother  was 
not  a  little  frightened,  dear  Lotta,  when  she 
learned  of  your  mishap.  I  told  her  that  her  last 
letter  with  good  counsel  came  too  late,  and  that 
although  time  is  lost  her  grandmotherly  hopes 
would  still  be  fulfilled.  I  had  to  tell  a  lot  about 
you  ;  that  you  can  readily  suppose.  The  thumb- 
screws were  put  to  me  in  proper  fashion  !  I  have 
given  a  description  of  your  maidservant  to  mother 
and  she  counsels  you,  dear  Lotta,  not  to  get  rid 
of  this  girl ;  when  you  got  the  third  maid  you 
would  begin  to  regret  the  first.  You  can  scarcely 
imagine,  dear  Lotta,  how  much  mother  thinks 

*A  lap  dog  of  which  Heine  was  fond.  See  verses  to  a 
Mopschen,  vol  i.  p.  233.— TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          13 

about  you,  day  and  night !  She  is  surprised  that 
you  have  become  violent  and  believes  that  it 
comes  from  your  way  of  living,  from  the  spiced 
and  fat  dishes. 

I  could  not  tell  them  enough  as  to  your  appear- 
ance. With  delight  I  was  able  to  tell,  dear 
Embden,  that  you  love  my  sister  with  all  your 
heart,  always  taking  pains  for  her,  supporting 
her  foibles,  bearing  in  manly  fashion  her  little 
caprices,  willingly  dispensing  with  your  own 
whims  and  always  showing  yourself  a  trusty 
husband.  Verily,  my  friends,  I  reckon  as  noth- 
ing your  little  skirmishes  ;  that  is  omnipresent ; 
the  loftiest  moment  of  wedlock  is  a  battle 
and  even  a  bloody  one.  It  really  means  noth- 
ing if  the  wife  shows  her  teeth,  so  long  as  the 
teeth  are  nice  and  white  ;  if  she  sheds  tears,  so 
long  as  they  become  her;  and  if  she  stamps 
angrily  with  her  feet,  so  long  as  they  are  sweetly 
small.  And  what  is  more  blissful  than  forgive- 
ness ?  And  Moritz  is  so  kind-hearted  ! 

Yes,  dear  Embden,  your  heart  is,  'tis  true,  full 
of  corners,  but  it  is  sound,  and  as  to  the  rest  of 
your  character  I  had  to  admire  and  love  it  more 
and  more,  although  its  angularities  are  uncom- 


14         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H BIN  RICH  HEINE. 

mon  and  my  character  is  quite  otherwise  planned. 
I  hope  that  in  the  future  we  shall  come  nearer 
together  in  all  geniality,  and  that  you  too  may 
find  out  and  recognize  the  good  which  often  lies 
hidden  away  in  me.  I  have  already  given  you 
proof  that  I  trust  you  for  possessing  in  prac- 
tical life  a  clear  and  true  view  ;  perhaps  some 
day  you  will  discover  that  in  the  ideal  life, 
namely,  wherever  it  is  a  question  of  ideas,  I  have 
eyes  no  less  sharp  and  true.  At  a  needful  moment 
you  have  been  very  useful  to  me  through  your 
penetration  and  I  am  very  grateful  for  it.  I  must 
give  you  good  thanks  besides  for  the  good  soups 
that  I  have  eaten  at  your  board,  the  many  good 
glasses  of  wine  I  have  drunk  with  you,  and  the  man- 
ifold favors  which  you  have  so  kindly  shown  me ! 
Keep  me  in  happy  remembrance  !  Greet  heart- 
ily all  friends.  Fare  ye  well  and  keep  in  affection 

Your  trusty 

H.  HEINE. 

VI 

LUNEBURG,  October  12,  1823. 
DEAR  LOTTA: 

Your  dear    little    letter   of    October   7    duly 
received  last  week  and  sufficiently  kissed.     Every. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          15 

thing  you  write  is  so  dainty  one  would  say  the 
most  skillful  pastry  cook  had  modeled  it.  Write 
to  me  often  ;  each  time  you  give  me  pleasure 
thereby.  We  are  all  in  the  best  of  health. 
Mother  and  father  are  well.  Gustav  was  in  good 
condition — only  too  good.  Little  Max,  the  big 
pedant,  is  industrious.  But  he's  orderly  never- 
theless, and  we  need  fear  nothing  on  his  account. 
We  have  a  new  cook  ;  the  which  is  most  sassy. 
I  advise  you  to  keep  your  maidservant.  My 
head  does  better  every  day.  How  can  you  be- 
lieve that  I  am  not  purposing  to  carry  out  the 
prescribed  plan  of  reading  law  ?  I  love  you 
beyond  all  words  and  yearn  for  the  moment 
when  I  can  see  you  again,  since  there  is  no  per- 
son in  the  world  in  whose  company  I  am  of  better 
spirits  than  in  that  of  my  sister.  We  understand 
each  other  so  perfectly;  we  alone  have  sense;  and 
the  rest  of  the  world  is  clean  crazed  !  Write  me 
lots,  whatever  news  there  is  in  your  place.  Be 
careful  of  your  health  ;  this  bustling  round  is  not 
wholesome  for  you.  Be  yielding  to  your  hus- 
band ;  he  is  in  verity  a  thoroughly  kind  fellow. 
We  two  differ  in  this  regard  :  in  his  head  the 
screws  are  turned  too  tightly,  and  in  mine  they 


16         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

are  screwed  too  loosely.     I  have  just  received  the 
address  for  the  books;  Jan   goes  to  fetch  them. 
It  is  very  borous  here,  but  I  am  pleased. 
Farewell  and  keep  me  in  affection. 

Thy  faithful  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

VII 

LUNEBURG,  November  7,  1823. 
DEAR  LOTTA: 

You  are  certainly  angry  with  me  !  And  still  I 
would  not  write  to  you  to-day  except  that  I 
must  send  you  the  ticket  list  which  I  forgot 
to  place  with  the  books.  Send  me  some  more 
books  soon.  And  after  all,  what  were  there  to 
to  write  ?  How  we  live  you  know  well  enough. 

I  am  much  honored  here.  Especially  am  I 
often  in  society  at  Superintendent  Christiani's  ; 
Dr.  Christiani  has  made  me  famous  in  all 
Liineburg  and  my  verses  circulate !  At  the 
same  time  I  am  always  trying  to  withdraw  from 
society;  my  headaches,  which  will  not  disappear, 
and  my  law  studies  occupy  me  too  much. 

There  is  no  culture  here ;  I  believe  there  is  a 
lightning  rod  for  culture  on  the  town  house, 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          1 7 

But  the  people  are  not  so  bad.  Often  do  I  think 
of  you,  kindly,  darling,  transparent  child  !  How 
often  I  yearn  to  kiss  your  little  alabaster  paws ! 
Love  me  just  as  hard  as  you  know  how  ! 

What  you  write  about  Methfessel*  pleases  me 
highly.  Remember  me  heartily  to  him.  I  wish 
I  could  hear  my  songs  sung.  I  must  see  to  it, 
anyhow,  that  I  get  Klein's  music  to  them.  We 
are  all  in  good  case.  Farewell,  sweet  little  doll 
of  crystal !  Knit  me  a  pair  of  woolen  slippers. 
Thy  brother,  who  loves  thee, 

HARRY  HEINE. 

VIII 

LiJNEBURG,  December  8,  1823. 
DEAR  LITTLE  SOUL  : 

I  have  not  written  you  for  a  long  time,  because 
I  have  been  ever  waiting  for  an  answer  to  my 
last  letter.  I  ought  not  to  have  minded  that,  and 
written  all  the  same  ;  still  I  have  a  good  excuse. 
Moreover  I  am  in  too  vile  a  mood  to  say  any- 
thing gay,  and  you  know  that  when  I  have  my 
black  hour  on  I  never  permit  myself  to  be  seen 

*  For  a  short  notice  of  Albert  Methfessel,  composer,  written 
1823,  see  vol.  xii.  p.  119. — TR, 


1 8         FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

by  you.  You  must  always  see  me  in  the  rosiest 
light  and  must  love  me  well.  Ah,  how  delighted 
I  am  with  the  news  that  you  are  soon  to  be  here  ! 
I  hear  you  already :  yow,  yow  !  In  thought  I  kiss 
the  sweet  tones  of  your  voice. 

I  shall  be  glad  also  to  see  Moritz.  I  have  to 
like  him  when  I  hear  that  he  loves  you  so  much 
— as  father  tells  and  cannot  finish  telling.  How 
splendid  it  is,  now  that  you  two  have  learned  to 
bear  with  each  other's  weak  sides  !  Mutual  for- 
bearance, allowances  and  understanding  lay  the 
foundations  of  a  good  marriage.  Moritz  will 
know  well  enough  how  to  treat  such  a  dear, 
fragile,  pretty  and  lively  toy  as  you  are. 

I  hope  you  are  in  good  health,  dear  Lotta.  Be 
quite  sure  that  always  I  think  of  you.  Don't 
I  know  well  enough  that  the  good  Lord  intends 
that  all  men  shall  kiss  your  hands  ?  That  I  be- 
lieve ;  that  is  my  religion. 

H.  HEINE. 

IX 

LUNEBURG,  December  26,  1823. 
DEAR  LOTTA : 

Tis  a  wrong  that  cries  to  heaven  that  I  don't 
get  a  line  under  my  eyes  from  you.  How  are 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          19 

you  living — how  are  you  getting  on?  O  how 
I  suffered  to  have  to  leave  without  having, 
sweetest  creature,  seen  you  again — spoken  to 
you — kissed  you  ! 

All  the  morning  I've  been  racking  my  brains 
whether  it  would  be  one  or  two  ringers  that  I'd 
be  glad  to  sacrifice  in  order  to  be  able  to  live  a 
few  years  in  your  neighborhood.  I  would  come 
to  Hamburg  to  say  good-by  to  you  if  I  did  not 
have  to  run  the  moral  gauntlet  there  past  too 
big  a  crowd  of  acquaintances. 

Write  me  now  and  then  after  I  reach  Got- 
tingen.  Your  letters  have  exactly  the  stamp  of 
your  neat,  pretty  soul,  and  are  veritable  bon- 
bons for  my  heart !  Thoughts  of  you,  dear 
sister,  will  often  hold  me  erect  when  the  great 
herd  of  mankind  crushes  me  with  their  stupid 
hatred  and  loathsome  love. 

My  greetings  for  the  new  year !  Congratula- 
tions to  Moritz  also ;  I  will  write  him  from  Got- 
tingen.  Here  I  have  nothing  to  report  to  him 
and  he  is  too  good  a  fellow  for  a  commonplace 
letter  with  obligatory  watering.  Do,  pray,  con- 
gratulate them  in  my  name  when  you  are  at 
Uncle  Salomon  Heine's.  Remember  also  me  to 


20         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Henry  Heine,  together  with  the  entire  Henriade. 
And  if  it  is  not  too  much  trouble,  give  my  re- 
gards to  all  the  Embdens. 

But  before  all  things  fare  you  well  and  hold 
me  fast  in  affection. 

H.  HEINE. 

X 

LUNEBURG,  January  9,  1824. 
DEAR  SMALL  PERSON: 

To-day  I  am  not  off,  but  to-morrow  I  journey, 
if  in  the  meantime  my  shirts  are  dry  and  if  the 
letter  arrives  which  I  expect  from  Berlin.  You 
know  from  the  Hamburg  experiences  that  I 
readily  stick  fast  wherever  I  may  be.  But  to- 
day a  week  the  gates  and  human  faces  of 
Luneburg  must  be  behind  me.  Separation 
from  the  parents  will  come  hard.  We  declaim 
your  little  piece  with  trumpet  accompaniment : 
Calypso  ne  pouvait  se  consoler  du  depart  d"  Ulysse. 
Do  you  ever  think,  small  Frenchwoman,  of  that 
Te'le'maque  period? 

How  delighted  were  I  to  kiss  once  more  your 
charming  cat's  paws  before  I  leave  this  part  of 
the  world!  Departure  from  little  Ami  will 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          2t 

also  be  hard.  Truly  this  small  beast  has  made 
many  an  hour  bright.  Every  evening  when  I 
read,  the  trig  little  creature  sits  on  my  shoulder 
and  always  begins  to  bark  when  we  reach 
a  fine  passage  in  the  book.  Little  Ami  has 
more  wisdom  and  feeling  than  all  the  German 
philosophers  and  poets. 

I  greatly  rejoiced  at  your  letter  of  the  thirty- 
first  of  December.  Heartily  did  I  laugh  at  your 
literary  dilemma.  Write  me  often.  That  I  am 
at  work  on  a  tragedy,  as  people  have  informed 
you,  is  not  quite  correct. 

The  fact  is,  I  have  not  written  a  line  of  it,  and 
the  piece  so  far  exists  only  in  my  head,  where 
many  another  piece  and  a  lot  more  good  volumes 
are  lying  ready.  Till  now  I  have  been  too  ill  to 
write  anything  and  the  few  hours  of  health  I 
have  are  devoted  to  my  studies.  In  truth  it  is 
still  seed  time  with  me  ;  but  I  hope  for  a  good 
harvest.  I  try  to  assimilate  the  most  varied 
knowledge,  and  shall  for  that  reason  evince  my- 
self all  the  more  cultivated  and  many-sided  an 
author.  The  poet  is  only  a  small  part  of  me ;  I 
think  you  have  known  me  long  enough  to  under- 
stand that.  Your  counsel  to  let  many  deaths 


22       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE. 

occur  in  my  tragedy  has  my  attention.  Good 
Lord,  I  wish  I  could  let  all  my  enemies  come  to 
a  bad  end  in  it.* 

Greet  Moritz  from  me  many  thousand  times. 
Reiterate  the  assurance  of  my  friendship.  Who- 
ever loves  my  wee,  small  Lotta,  him  also  do  I 
love.  Besides,  I  am  really  a  great  admirer  of 
Archenholtz.f 

I  hope,  dear  Lotta,  you  will  see  that  many  nice 
letters  reach  me  in  Gottingen  ;  each  one  of  them 
brightens  up  my  soul.  Everything  that  you  write 
is  so  nice  and  clear;  like  a  burnished  mirror 
every  line  shows  me  your  excellent  natural 
temperament. 

Farewell,  and  hold  me  in  affection. 

H.  HEINE. 
XI 

G6TTINGEN,  January  31,  1824. 
DEAR,  SWEET  SISTER  : 

I  hope  that  these  lines  will  find  you  in  perfect 
health.  So  far  as  I  am  concerned  I  am  getting 

*For  Heine's  humorous  claim  to  modesty  in  wishes  see  vol  xii 
P-  I93-— TR. 

t  Perhaps  an  allusion  to  Jos.  Wilh.  Archenholtz,  author  of 
works  on  England,  Italy,  the  Seven  Years'  War,  etc.,  who  died 
near  Hamburg  in  1812.,— TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          23 

on  better  than  before.  I  think  Liineburg  must 
have  a  bad  air :  hardly  a  single  hour  of  health 
did  I  enjoy  there.  The  people,  it  is  true,  did 
everything  to  make  the  nest  agreeable,  espe- 
cially at  the  last.  I  finished  the  journey  with  no 
very  remarkable  events.  Liineburg  Heath  is 
one-third  of  eternity  and  bored  me  quite 
enough  and  through  weariness  of  spirit  I  made 
rhymes — yes,  rhymes  to  you,  which  perhaps  some 
day  I  may  let  you  see.  They  are  only  a  couple  of 
stanzas.  But  I  love  you  and  think  ever  of  you. 

I  passed  three  days  in  Hanover  and  got  ac- 
quainted there  with  a  beautiful  lady  and  was 
most  agreeable — no  other  than  I !  In  my  jour- 
ney hither  from  Hanover  I  had  bad  weather  ;  it 
snowed  as  if  all  the  heavenly  armies  were  shaking 
their  feather  beds  down  on  me,  and  what  is  more, 
I  sat  in  a  half-open  side  coach  near  the  master- 
at-arms,  whose  crimson-red  mantle  gradually 
turned  to  ermine.  And  I  thought  of  you  and  I 
let  it  snow  in  the  name  of  God,  and  when  trara, 
trara,  the  postilion  on  the  post  wagon  rattled 
past,  my  heart  was  much  moved  and  I  thought  : 
that  boy  certainly  has  letters  which  will  reach 
Hamburg  in  three  days,  and  I  envied  the  letters. 


24         FAMIL  Y  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

I  came  to  Gottingen  while  I  slept.  What 
does  that  omen  mean  ? 

The  next  morning  as  I  leaned  out  of  the  win- 
dovv  of  the  tavern  I  saw  my  old  bootblack  pass 
and  called  him  up.  In  comes  the  whimsical  fel- 
low without  uttering  a  word,  and  brushes  my 
clothes  and  boots  without  speaking  a  word,  and 
does  not  show  the  slightest  surprise  at  my  being 
away  from  Gottingen  for  three  years  ;  my  old 
orders  that  he  must  never  speak  in  my  presence 
and  never  ask  a  question  have  never  been  for- 
gotten. 

I  have  few  acquaintances  here  and  the 
professors  are  not  particularly  fond  of  me,  be- 
cause when  I  was  rusticated  here  I  sent  cards 
of  farewell  in  a  mocking  tone  to  the  members 
of  the  Academical  Senate. 

I'm  up  to  the  neck  in  juristic  studies  and 
things  roll  along.  I  found  it  a  bit  of  luck  that, 
although  I  have  come  in  the  middle  of  a  term,  I 
can  hear  a  good  deal  on  subjects  for  which  I 
have  not  come  too  late. 

Farewell,  beauteous  lady,  and  keep  me  in 
happy  memory  and  write  me  oft.  My  address  is 
H.  Heine,  cand.  juris,  on  the  Rothenstrasse  at 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H  El N RICH  HEINE.          25 

Widow  Brandissen's  in  Gottingen.  Greet  all 
acquaintances  for  me  and  write  how  everything 
looks  and  whether  the  tarts  have  come  out  good 
this  year.  If  you  cook  or  bake  anything,  put  it 
aside  for  me  until  I  get  round  to  see  you.  But 
you  yourself  are  more  dear  to  me  than  all  the 
tarts  on  this  globe,  not  excepting  even  lemon 
tarts ! 

I  would  like  to  write  you  more,  but   it  is  too 
dusky  in  my  brains   and    anyhow  I  could   not 
express  at  all  how  heartily  devoted  to  you  is 
Your  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

XII 

GOTTINGEN,  March  30,  1824. 
DEAR  LOTTA : 

I  have  received  your  and  Moritz's  letter  all 
right  and  seen  with  pleasure  that  you  are  both 
well  and  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind.  Tell  Moritz 
I  am  very  glad  to  hear  that  he  remembers  me  in 
kindness  and  that  I  shall  write  to  him  before 
long.  Nor  shall  I  give  you,  dear  Lotta,  a  real 
and  actual  reply  to-day ;  the  purpose  of  this 
letter  is  merely  to  inform  you  that  I  propose  to 


26         FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE. 

make  a  flying  trip  to  Berlin  this  week  in  order 
to  pass  there  a  part  of  the  present  vacation  ;  that 
presently  I  am  sure  to  be  able  to  write  something 
more  interesting  and  that  if  you  wish  to  have 
anything  done  for  you  in  Berlin,  you  must  write 
it  out  for  me  at  length,  directing  H.  Heine  from 
Dusseldorf,  care  of  M.  Friedlander  &  Co.,  on  the 
new  Friedrichstrasse,  No.  47  in  Berlin. 

The  reason  for  this  trip  is  composed  of  a 
thousand  little  by- reasons ;  amusement  is  certainly 
the  least  of  them  all.  Meantime  the  movement 
and  the  change  in  such  a  trip  is  very  good  for  my 
head.  I  hope,  dear  Lotta,  that  you  too  are  in 
good  health  and  love  me  still.  My  Muse  is  fur- 
ished  with  a  muzzle  so  as  not  to  bother  me  with 
her  melodies  while  threshing  the  straw  of  jurispru- 
dence. Yet  not  so  long  ago  I  sent  off  a  cyclus 
of  little  poems  for  Der  Gesellschafter*  and  gave 
orders  that  they  should  send  two  copies  to  you 
in  Hamburg  and  I  want  you  to  give  one  copy  to 
Uncle  Henry.  Don't  forget  this.  And  be  so 
good  as  to  say  to  Uncle  Henry  that  his  letter 
reached  me  and  the  credit  was  paid  me  all  right. 
As  you  may  imagine,  you  must  do  this  at  once 
*  A  widely  read  periodical  published  by  Professor  Gubitz. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE.       27 

and  may  add  that  I  am  on  a  journey  and  will 
for  that  reason  write  later  on.  Don't  forget 
this  either,  by  the  soul  of  you  !  because  Uncle 
Henry  has  shown  me  much  kindness  and  favor 
and  I  owe  him  much  gratitude. 

Yesterday  I  had  a  letter  from  Liineburg  and 
heard  that  Theresa  Heine*  had  been  sick  of  the 
smallpox  and  was  convalescent.  Tell  me  if  she 
suffered  much.  It  would  pain  me  greatly. 
Send  my  best  regards  to  that  dear  maid  as  well 
as  to  the  rest  of  the  clan. 

As  to  my  health  I  am  still  unable  to  boast  a 
great  deal,  but  it  will  do.  I  am  in  a  tide  of 
correspondence  with  Liineburg  and  write  often. 
You  know  it  gives  father  and  mother  pleasure 
and  a  double  pleasure  to  dear  father,  because  he 
goes  for  the  letters  himself.  Of  you,  dear,  sweet 
wifelet,  I  think  constantly  ;  would  I  could  see  you 
in  your  present  rounded  shape  !  Already  there 
stirs  in  me  the  suspicion  of  avuncular  feelings, 
and  I  am  on  tenterhooks  whether  I  shall  get  a 
nephew  or  a  niece.  O  what  a  happy  man  will 
Moritz  be  when  he  hears  the  first  cry  of  the 
child  !  How  it  will  smell  of  cookies  in  mamma's 

*  Youngest  daughter  of  Salomon  Heine  for  whom  the  poet  has 
been  accused  of  Cousinenschwarmerei.  See  note  p.  137. — TR. 


28         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

house  !  Everybody  will  be  delighted  and  bustle 
about,  and  in  the  first  moment  Aunt  Jette*  will 
not  know  whether  she  has  become  an  aunt  or 
really  a  great-aunt. 

But  in  order  that  all  these  things  come  to  pass 
take  care  of  yourself,  dear  child,  and  keep  in 

affection 

Your  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

XIII 

GOTTINGEN,  May  8,  1824. 
BELOVED  SISTER: 

All  I'll  do  to-day  is  to  notify  you  that  I  have 
reached  Gottingen  again  sound  and  well  and 
that  I  expect  to  get  from  you  a  letter  full  of 
particulars  as  to  how  you  are.  Everything  else 
is  side-issue — I  only  want  to  know  how  you  feel. 
When  do  you  expect  to  be  delivered  ?  Now  do 
you  perceive  what  a  good  thing  it  is  to  have 
learned  to  add  and  subtract  ?  Spare  yourself  in 
all  things,  do  not  run  much,  don't  eat  trash,  or 
else  your  child  will  be  a  nibbler  of  sweets,  and 
also  do  not  read  any  verses,  or  else  the  child  you 
bear  will  be  a  poet— which  may  well  be  called  a 

*  The  wife  of  Henry  Heine  was  the  sister  of  Moritz  Embden. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          29 

great  piece  of  bad  luck.  I  forgot  your  present 
condition  ;  otherwise  I  should  never  have  sent 
you  the  thirty-three  songs. 

My  trip  up  to  Berlin  was  made  in  bad  weather; 
it  was  cold  and  snowed  horribly.  The  journey 
back  was  much  better,  in  fine  weather  and  forty- 
eight  hours — so  swiftly  flies  the  lightning  post !  * 

It  was  most  surprising  to  see  the  Harz  Moun- 
tains, which  I  had  left  covered  with  snow,  already 
clad  in  the  most  genial  of  spring  verdure.  It  was 
in  the  Harz  indeed  that  I  saw  a  lady  who  looked 
very  like  you  in  features  and  in  general  appearance. 

It  was  this  way.  I  drove  from  Stollberg  to 
Harzgerode  over  a  tall,  snow-clad  hill,  where  the 
coach  threatened  every  moment  to  upset — a  per- 
ilous, dreary  ride.  Now  about  midnight  when 
we  reached  the  posthouse  at  Harzgerode  we 
found  the  waiting  room  half  full  of  passengers 
who  had  come,  some  of  them  by  other  post 
coaches,  others  by  special  coach,  and  there  they 
were,  drinking  coffee,  putting  their  furs  off  and 
on,  quarreling  in  loud  voices  with  the  postmaster, 

*  At  that  time  the  first  lightning  post  coaches  were  introduced 
into  Germany  through  the  efforts  of  the  Prussian  postmaster- 
general  von  Nagler. 


30         FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

cursing  the  weather  and  making  faces  like  the 
day  after  a  debauch. 

Near  the  stove,  which  was  not  particularly 
warm,  sat  a  marvelous-lovely  woman  who  seemed 
exceeding  distinguished,  but,  alas,  most  dis- 
gusted— and  she  looked  precisely  as  you  do  when 
you  are  in  a  cantankerous  mood !  Why,  she 
looked  like  cantankerousness  itself  when  she 
learned  from  our  postilion  that  the  road  to  Stoll- 
berg  was  so  vile  ;  and  a  dainty  gentleman  in  a 
magnificent  fur  coat,  who  wound  wheedling  about 
her  in  an  anxious  deprecatory  way,  watching  for 
her  slightest  nod,  had  to  support  the  entire  flood 
of  her  grumpiness.  Half  crying,  half  scolding, 
she  said  to  him  :  "  Why  did  you  not  kill  me  out- 
right before  it  came  to  this?  Didn't  you  know 
that  I  am  sick  ?  "  and  so  forth. 

I  tried  as  well  as  I  could  tc  comfort  the  angry 
lady  and  warbled, 

O,  what  pleasure  travel  brings  ! 

from  "Jean  de  Paris."  When  she  heard  that,  the 
sweetest  little  melancholy  smile  crossed  her 
pretty,  vexed  countenance  ;  she  rowed  with  less 
violence  that  wretched,  natty  gentleman  in  the  fur 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          31 

coat,  and  when  presently  the  latter  offered  her 
his  arm  and  led  her  gracefully  to  the  coach,  she 
turned  again  and  again  to  me  with  farewell  bows ; 
she  sighed  and  warbled, 

O,  what  pleasure  travel  brings  ! 

To-day  these  words  have  been  ringing  in  my 
ears  the  entire  morning  and  so  I  have  told  you 
the  adventure.  But  should  I  talk  about  Berlin  I 
would  not  be  so  quickly  done.  Only  this  much 
will  I  say,  that  I  am  still  held  in  sufficient  love 
and  respect  by  the  people  there.  They  wondered 
not  a  little  moreover  that  through  love  of  work 
I  should  select  for  my  abode  wearisome  Gottingen 
instead  of  fascinating  Berlin.  And  people  won- 
dered  still  more  that  I  was  able  to  leave  at  the 
proper  time  in  order  not  to  be  late  for  lectures 
here  in  Gottingen.  In  Berlin  I  passed  many  a 
charming  hour  and  absorbed  much  spiritual  stir 
and  refreshment,  and  assuredly  this  journey  was 
in  every  respect  useful  to  me. 

Thanks,  dearest  Lotta,  for  your  kindness  in 
carrying  out  my  commission  with  Uncle  Henry  ; 
you  would  make  me  grateful  again  if  once  more 
you  would  give  my  greeting  to  kind  Uncle 


32          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINR1CH  HEINE. 

Henry.  For  in  the  restless  agitation  in  which  I 
have  been — inwardly  and  outwardly — up  till  the 
present  moment  I  was  not  able  to  reach  the  point 
of  writing  to  our  kind  uncle ;  so  it  is  important 
for  me  that  he  should  learn  I  did  not  stay  too 
long  in  Berlin  and  that  the  trip  was  healthful  to 
body  and  soul. 

Just  now  I  feel  better  than  I  have  known 
myself  for  a  year  and  a  day.  If  it  is  possible,  I 
shall  write  to-day  to  Liineburg.  How  is  Uncle 
Salomon  Heine  ?  I  was  not  a  little  scared  when 
I  heard  not  long  ago  that  everybody  at  Uncle 
Heine's  was  so  ill.  Thank  God  they  are  in 
good  health  again  !  I  am  glad  that  I  did  not 
know  it  before.  I  beg  you  to  write  me  the 
particulars,  how  they  are  now.  My  address  is 
H.  Heine,  stud,  juris  from  Dusseldorf  in  Gott- 
ingen. 

My  regards  to  Moritz ;  part  of  this  letter  is 
meant  for  him  ;  I  think  of  him  often  and  with 
pleasure.  Write  to  me  soon  and  keep  me  in 
affection.  You  cannot  possibly  believe  how 
heartily  I  love  you  ! 

Thy  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          33 

XIV 

G6TTINGEN,  August  9,  1824. 

DEAR  FATHER  MORITZ  : 

I  cannot  utter  to  you  the  delight  I  felt  in 
mother's  lines  and  your  postscript !  I  congratu- 
late you  on  the  coming  of  the  sweet  little 
daughterlet  and  trust  that  she  will  become  a 
copy  of  her  sweet  little  mother.  Day  and  night 
was  I  forced  to  think  of  our  dear  Lotta  ;  my 
thoughts  were  ever  at  the  Neuenwall  in  one  of 
the  dainty  rooms.  For  some  time,  dear  Moritz, 
I  have  observed  that  you  are  discovering  day  by 
day  more  exactly  the  secret,  how  one  can  live 
happy  with  our  dear  Lotta  and  make  her  a  happy 
woman.  I  knew  well  enough  that  so  clever  and 
honest  a  man  as  you  are  would  end  by  getting 
to  the  bottom  of  the  secret,  just  as  I  knew  that 
so  dear  a  child  as  our  Lotta  would  always  show 
herself  lovable  and  childishly  docile,  if  a  per- 
son only  treated  her  properly  ;  in  fact,  like  an 
adored  child. 

Now  a  new  bond  has  knit  you  together  in 
union  and  happiness ;  the  sweet  creature  to 
whom  you  two  have  given  life  will  be  a  fresh 


34         FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

source  of  new  gladness  and  love.  And  I  too, 
Moritz,  am  bound  closer  to  you  through  a  fresh 
family  chain :  your  daughter  is  my  niece.  May 
Heaven  keep  in  good  health  both  the  beings 
whom  we  love  so  much,  mother  and  daughter ! 

So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  my  health  gets  on 
better  all  the  while ;  very  slowly  to  be  sure.  I 
am  exclusively  occupied  with  my  law  studies 
and  think  of  taking  a  degree  in  January.  I  am 
quite  certain  that  in  a  few  years  my  headaches 
will  vanish  and  that  then  I  shall  be  able  better 
than  now  to  work  hard  and  to  live. 

To  my  sweetest  Lotta  I  send  the  heartiest 
greetings.  I  cannot  tell  her  enough  how  sweet 
and  delightsome  her  last  letter  was.  I  kissed 
every  line,  and  then  read  again  and  kissed  once 
more.  I  beg  you  to  congratulate  Lotta  in  my 
name  and  kiss  her  hand. 

If  possible  I  shall  write  to-day  to  our  dear 
mother.  How  she  must  rejoice  !  I  have  guests 
here  just  now,  namely  Brother  Max,  who  is  with 
me  on  a  visit.  We  can  never  reach  the  end  of 
our  talks  about  you  two.  I  send  my  congratula- 
tions to  your  mother  and  brothers. 

I  beg  you  not  to  give  the  child  a  "  precious  " 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINKICH  HEINE.          35 

name ;  give  her  a  simple,  genuine  German  one. 
Fare  ye  well  and  hold  me  in  affection. 
I  am, 

Your  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

XV 

GOTTINGEN,  May  u,  1825. 
DEAR  BROTHER-IN-LAW  : 

You  have  real  occasion  to  be  very  angry  with 
me  and  I  really  do  not  know  how  I  can  excuse 
my  long  silence.  The  only  thing  I  shall  put  for- 
ward is  that  I  have  failed  to  write  neither  from 
neglect  nor  indifference.  I  am  always  thinking 
of  my  sister  and  consequently  of  all  things  con- 
nected with  her  and  consequently  of  my  brother- 
in-law.  But  I  love  you  too  well  to  embitter  an 
hour  of  your  time  with  long  descriptions  of  the 
miserable  situation  of  a  sickly,  grumpy  man, 
plagued  by  God  and  the  world.  Certainly  you 
are  too  dear  to  me  to  write  you  empty  words 
or  perchance  lies  !  So  then,  let  a  kind  brother- 
in-law  and  his  small  wife  forgive  my  long 
silence. 

But  now  I  am  able  to  write  you  ;  my  health  im- 


36         FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

proves — it  was  very  wretched — and  at  the  same 
time  the  clouds  raise  a  little  from  my  outer 
life. 

All  the  past  winter  I  dug -away  at  jurispru- 
dence without  let  up,  and  so  last  week  was  in 
condition  to  take  the  examination  of  doctor  of 
laws,  which  I  passed  in  fine  shape.  This  is  the 
capital  point  with  regard  to  degree  taking  ;  all  the 
rest — for  example,  disputation — is  empty  form 
and  scarcely  worthy  of  mention.  So  practically 
I  am  a  doctor,  and  it  has  no  longer  an  ironical 
effect  when  you  call  me  that  in  your  letters. 
But  I  shall  not  dispute  for  six  weeks  to  come,  be- 
cause in  the  first  place  there's  no  hurry,  as  I  shall 
remain  here  till  Michaelmas,  and  in  the  second 
I  want  to  finish  writing  my  disputation.  This  is 
the  best  news  I  can  impart — everything  else  is 
still  in  the  dark.  You  can  easily  explain  to 
yourself  moreover  why  I  spare  you  the  facts 
concerning  my  external  affairs  which,  as  with 
everybody,  depend  on  economical  conditions. 
People  may  complain  as  they  will  of  my  folly  and 
chaotic  state,  but  I  know  that  I  think  and  act  as 
befits  my  inner  self-respect.  Dear  Moritz,  I  have 
my  well  established  jury  for  whatever  I  do — but 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          37 

this  jury  is  not  yet  assembled  to  act  as  the 
judge  over  me.  Merchants  are  scarcely  apt  to 
be  among  them. 

I  hope  that  this  letter  finds  you  sound  and 
gay.  As  I  hear  that  Lotta  is  about  to  journey 
to  Liineburg,  I  shall  write  to  the  dear  little  wife 
there.  Kiss  for  small  Marilet !  How  curious  I 
am  to  see  her ! 

Whether  I  shall  establish  myself  in  Hamburg  ? 
That  is  known  to  the  gods  who  created  hunger. 
I  shall  not  settle  down  there  without  being 
provided  with  bread  for  a  couple  of  years.  Mean- 
time on  my  side  everything  will  be  done  ;  bap- 
tized *  and  a  DOCTOR  JURIS,  and  'tis  hoped  in 
good  health,  I  shall  presently  arrive  in  Hamburg. 
I  would  not  write  you  all  this  if  you  had  not  often 
asked  to  know. 

Fare  ye  well ;  keep  me  in  love,  and  be  assured 
that  from  my  heart  I  am 

Your  devoted  brother-in-law, 

H.  HEINE. 

*  At  that  period  no  Jew  could  receive  a  degree  at  law,  or  prac- 
tice. It  was  customary  for  Jews  like  Heine,  on  whom  their  spe- 
cial religion  lay  very  slack,  to  pronounce  the  formulas  of  Christian 
baptism  like  that  of  taking  a  degree,  holding  that  the  shame  lay 
with  those  who  baptized.— TR. 


3§         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

XVI 

G6TTINGEN,  July  31,  1825. 

DEAR  LOTTA: 

I  have  heard  from  father  that  you  left  the 
flowery  meads  of  Liineburg  long  ago  and  find 
yourself  once  more  in  Hamburg  the  blessed. 
So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  as  you  see,  I  am  still 
in  that  learned  cowstable  Gottingen,  where  I 
disputed  in  public  on  the  twentieth  of  the 
present  month  for  the  degree  of  doctor  of  laws. 
They  must  have  sent  you  this  piece  of  news  from 
Liineburg.  I  thought  you  were  there,  otherwise 
I  should  have  written  to  you  before. 

I  have  asked  Max  to  send  my  theses'*  from 
Berlin  to  Moritz  ;  I  should  have  written  him  by 
this  had  I  considered  it  worth  while  to  make 
much  talk  about  the  winning  of  a  doctor's 
degree. 

Greet  Moritz  heartily  for  me,  and  if  you  are 

*  The  Latin  disquisition  by  H.  Heine  contained  contentions 
on  the  following  subjects:  i.  The  husband  is  master  of  the  dowry. 
2.  The  creditor  must  produce  a  receipt.  3.  All  judicial  acts  are 
to  be  performed  in  public.  4.  No  binding  duty  springs  from  an 
oath.  5-  Among  the  Romans  confarreatio  was  the  most  ancient 
form  of  legal  wedlock. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          39 

certain  he  is  no  blab,  say  to  him  that  I  am  now 

not  only  a  Doctor  Juris,  but  also .* 

Yesterday  it  rained  just  as  it  did  six  weeks  ago. 
When  the  longest  day  occurred  a  little  while  ago 
I  thought  of  the  Zollenspiker  f  at  Hamburg,  and 
solemnized  the  occasion  with  perspiration  and 
thoughts  of  you  two. 

For  the  last  two  years  you  have  known  our 
Moritz  quite  intimately  enough  to  tell  whether 
he  can  keep  his  mouth  shut  and  so  forth.  Day 
before  yesterday  I  ate  fine  strawberries ;  they  lay 
most  sweetly  on  the  sugar  and  I  duly  covered 
them  well  up. 

I  don't  know  how  long  I  shall  remain  here,  and 
whether  I  shall  not  within  the  next  few  days 
leave  town  and  make  another  trip  afoot.  In  any 
case  I  shall  be  in  Liineburg  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember in  order  to  see  the  parents,  and  thence  my 

way  leads  to I  really  do  not  yet  know  if  it 

will  be  possible  for  me  to  stick  fast  in  Hamburg. 
To  be  sure,  I  do  not  feel  so  badly  off  in  health 
any  more ;  thank  God,  my  constitution  is  stronger 

*  Play  upon  Heine's  baptism  into  the  Lutheran  Church,  June 
28,  1825. 

f  Where  the  wedding  of  his  sister  was  celebrated. 


40         FAMIL  Y  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

than  it  was ;  but  I  am  still  enough  of  a  sick  man 
to  think  more  about  the  present  than  the  future. 
In  no  circumstances  shall  I  come  to  Ham- 
burg  if  means  of  subsistence  are  not  assured  me 
beforehand. 

If  this  is  not  the  case,  then  provisionally  I 
choose  Berlin,  where  there  are  more  chances  of 
gain  open  to  me  at  once.  If  only  I  could  have 
have  the  consciousness,  dear  Lotta,  that  you  are 
contented  with  me,  and  perceive  that  on  my  part 
I  have  done  everything  by  which  I  believed  it 
possible  to  arrange  to  live  in  your  beloved  neigh- 
borhood. 

Be  assured  that  no  pleasure,  no  champagne, 
no  theater,  no  tickling  of  vanity  and  no  glance 
from  lovely  woman  were  so  much  to  my  heart 
as  a  cozy,  gossipy  stay  with  you,  dear,  lovable 
child!  You  know  well  enough  howl  am — how 
livable,  how  docile  and  contented  with  little! 
You  and  two  other  stately  ladies  know  that  very 
well  and  understand  how  to  value  it. 

I  beg  you  to  walk  a  great  deal  lest  you  get 
too  fat !  I  pray  you — do  not  become  a  Ham- 
burg woman  !  Greet  and  kiss  for  me  your  little 
girl.  And  write  me  soon.  Just  send  the  letters 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.         41 

to  Liineburg ;  I  will  write  to  father  as  soon  as  I 
leave,  to  say  whither  he  shall  send  them. 

Remember  me  to  our  Gustav,  at  last  in  Ham- 
burg for  good  and  all.  I  send  inclosed  the  theses 
on  which  I  disputed,  which  you  may  impart 
to  Gustav  or  to  any  other  learned  person  you 
please. 

Farewell,  and  keep  me  in  affection. 

Your  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

The  frontispiece  is  one  little  known  and  was 
drawn  by  a  friend  of  Heine's  youth,  during  his 
first  stay  in  Gottingen.  It  was  held  in  high 
honor  by  his  sister  owing  to  the  strong  resem- 
blance ;  the  youthful  bust  carved  by  Professor 
Herter  in  1890  at  Berlin  is  very  like  it. 

At  this  period  my  mother  depicted  her  brother 
as  follows :  "  His  appearance  was  more  youthful 
than  his  age  would  lead  one  to  expect ;  he  was 
without  beard  until  his  incurable  illness  began  ; 
the  delicate,  almost  maiden-like  features  of  his 
pale,  oval  face  were  set  in  a  background  of  light 
brown  hair.  His  mouth  would  twist  itself  in  a 
satirical  smile  when  he  repeated  a  joke  or  wit- 


42         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

ticism,  and  the  grayish  blue  eyes,  at  other 
times  somewhat  dull,  began  to  sparkle.  Of 
medium  stature  and  always  elegantly  clad,  his 
whole  being  expressed  an  aristocratic  something. 
He  was  always  very  active  and  industrious  and 
went  regularly  to  lectures.  The  habits  of  stu- 
dents never  had  his  sympathy ;  he  did  not  smoke, 
drank  no  beer,  very  little  wine,  and  although 
member  of  a  Burschenschaft,  avoided  all  nocturnal 
banquets." 

After  taking  his  doctor's  degree  Heine  was 
very  undecided  whether  he  should  choose  Ham- 
burg or  Berlin  for  a  continued  residence.  He 
had  many  friends  in  Berlin,  and  in  particular 
there  were  two  social  circles  which  exercised 
a  great  attraction  on  him.  The  house  of  the 
poetess  Elisa  von  Hohenhausen  was  the  gather- 
ing place  of  all  the  beaux  esprits ;  and  this 
woman  of  genius,  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of  Lord 
Byron,  whose  poems  she  had  in  part  translated, 
was  the  first  to  recognize  Heine's  high  poetic  gift ; 
she  called  him  the  German  Byron  and  proclaimed 
that  in  him  her  ideals  had  been  born  again.* 

*For  translations  of  "Manfred  "and  short  poems  by  Byron, 
see  vol.  i.  pp.  214-227.— TR. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.         43 

The  second  circle,  which  assisted  his  poetic 
evolution  more,  was  that  ruled  by  Varnhagen 
von  Ense,  whose  brilliant  wife  Rahel,  the  latter's 
brother  Robert  and  his  beautiful  wife,  formed 
Heine's  most  intimate  surroundings.  In  this 
house  there  was  an  altar  raised  to  Goethe,  and  a 
lively  propaganda  was  carried  on  there  to  obtain 
a  true  understanding  and  valuation  of  his  works. 
Owing  to  their  exaggerated  worship  everything 
was  brought  into  comparison  with  him  ;  notwith- 
standing the  very  different  direction  the  works 
of  the  two  poets  took,  a  certain  relationship  with 
the  poetic  method  of  Goethe  was  extracted  from 
Heine's  poems. 

In  his  diary  Max  Heine  *  describes  the  Berlin 
friends  of  that  period ;  he  tells  how  he  came 
bearing  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Moses  Moser, 
to  that  trusty  and  noble  friend  of  Heinrich 
Heine,  that  very  friend,  in  fact,  to  whom  were 
addressed  the  poet's  letters,  to-day  full  of 
laughter,  to-morrow  of  wailings. 

Moser  was  partner  in  the  wealthy  banking 
house  of  M.  Friedlander  &  Co.,  and  was  self- 
taught  and  a  philanthropist  in  the  noblest  sense 

*  The  brother  who  entered  the  Russian  Service  as  a  surgeon. 
He  wrote  a  number  of  books  of  travel  and  biography. — TR. 


44         FA  MIL  Y  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

of  the  word.  He  used  every  spare  hour  for  solid 
studies  and  his  many-sidedness  was  a  subject  for 
remark.  Apart  from  his  thorough  knowledge  of 
almost  all  tongues,  he  read  Plato,  Homer,  Tacitus, 
Shakspere,  Cervantes,  Dante  in  the  original ;  he 
carried  on  studies  in  Sanskrit  and  was  entirely  at 
home  in  astronomy,  philosophy  and  belles  lettres. 
"  With  the  letters  of  introduction  from  Hein- 
rich  in  one  hand  "  wrote  Max  Heine  "  and  Mr. 
Moser  on  the  other,  I  entered  that  large 
circle  of  families  whose  members  were  among 
the  most  gifted  and  illustrious  of  mankind. 
First  it  was  Varnhagen  von  Ense,  famous 
from  his  critical  and  biographical  writings — an 
acknowledged  model  as  German  stylist.  The 
soul  of  his  house  was  the  celebrated  Rahel, 
Varnhagen's  gifted  wife  ;  she  it  was  who  dubbed 
the  young,  high-spirited  poet  with  the  Aristo- 
phanic  nickname  of  '  naughty  favorite  of  the 
Graces.'  In  this  house  the  intellectual  moun- 
tain tops  of  Berlin  were  to  be  met,  and  all  the 
arts  and  sciences  were  represented.  Wilhelm 
and  Alexander  von  Humboldt,  the  great  philoso- 
pher Hegel,  the  immortal  sculptor  Rauch, 
Schleiermacher,  Hitzig,  Chamisso  and  the 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          45 

brother  of  Rahel,  Ludwig  Robert,  famed  as  a  poet, 
together  with  his  ideally  beautiful  wife  Friederike, 
were  like  many  others  constant  guests. 

"Quite  another  circle,  which  formed  a  world 
to  itself,  was  offered  me  by  the  Veit  house- 
hold which  stood  in  interesting  connection  with 
the  history  of  intellectual  and  commercial  Berlin. 
Head  'of  a  well-known  business  house,  he  gath- 
ered about  him  every  week  a  circle  of  men  who 
on  such  evenings  set  before  them  the  task  of 
furnishing  an  entertainment  richly  spiced  with 
wit.  The  leaders  of  this  circle  were  almost  all 
of  them  personal  and  true  friends  of  Heinrich 
Heine.  Moser  and  the  celebrated  jurist  Professor 
Gans  were  guests  never  absent.  Dr.  Rosenhain 
too,  the  botanist,  the  clever  writer  Daniel  Less- 
mann,  and  Joseph  Lehmann,  publisher  and  editor 
of  the  Magazine  for  Foreign  Literature,  whose  chief 
contributor  Lessmann  was. 

"  Lehmann,  the  oldest  friend  of  Heinrich  Heine, 
had  been  an  admirer  of  the  poet  from  the  mo- 
ment  of  his  first  appearance;  it  was  he  who, 
under  the  name  in  anagram  of  Anselmi,  furnished 
the  first  critical  notices  of  Heine's  poems.  His 
able  parodies  of  the  latter  have  been  indeed 


46          FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

often  taken  for  poems  by  Heine.  In  his  widely 
read  periodical  Lehmann  followed  trustingly  on 
through  the  entire  literary  life  of  Heine  ;  he  often 
illustrated  Heine's  beautiful  passages  and  always 
understood  how  to  unite  in  the  most  kindly  man- 
ner a  hearty  friend  and  a  stern,  incorruptible  critic. 

"  I  must  mention  a  few  more  families  in  which 
I  and  my  brother  Heinrich  met  with  the  kindliest 
reception  and  where  every  week  an  intellectual 
society  came  together. 

"  Dr.  Leopold  Zunz,  for  instance,  the  great 
Orientalist  and  editor  of  the  much  read  and 
influential  Haude  und  Spenerschen  Zeitung.  He 
was  himself  a  member  of  the  friendly  circle  about 
Veit,  where  the  so-called  '  Zunz  wit '  sped  in 
jovial  fashion  from  mouth  to  mouth. 

"  Moser  took  me  also  to  the  Mendelssohn 
house  and  I  listened  with  ecstasy  to  the  playing 
of  young  Felix  and  did  not  imagine  at  the  time 
that  later  such  '  songs  without  words '  would  pro- 
ceed from  this  boy's  head  and  that  Heine's 
words  would  be  published  with  such  music ! 

"I  must  also  recall  Albert  von  Chamisso,  a  man 
extraordinarily  beloved,  who,  though  by  birth  a 
Frenchman,  stands  among  the  leaders  of  German 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          47 

lyricists.  At  his  house  I  came  to  know  the  crim- 
inal counselor  Hitzig,  Chamisso's  notable  biog- 
rapher. Hitzig  was  always  a  warm  friend  of 
Heinrich  Heine,  with  whose  youth  as  a  poet  he 
has  shown  the  most  lively  sympathy.  Owing  to 
his  good  offices  the  tragedies  of  Heine  appeared 
in  the  press  of  Ferdinand  Dummler.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  Professor  Gubitz,  who  at  that 
time  edited  the  paper  Gesellschafter  fiir  Geist  und 
Herz.  I  often  took  small  poems  by  Heine  to 
him ;  indeed,  he  had  introduced  the  poet  to  the 
German  public  by  means  of  the  Gesellschafter 
and  brought  him  the  booksellers  Maurer  as 
publishers  of  his  first  collection  of  poems." 

In  spite  of  all  the  allurements  which  a  residence 
in  Berlin  had  for  Heine,  love  for  his  relatives 
drew  him  toward  Hamburg ;  after  a  longer  stay 
in  Norderney  he  made  a  visit  to  his  parents  in 
Liineburg  in  order  to  talk  over  his  affairs  with 
them. 

XVII 

LUNEBURG,  October,  1826. 
MY  DEAR  LOTTA 

may  consider  herself  heartily  greeted  and  as- 
sured of  my  brotherly  love!  Verily  I  have 


48         FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

remembered  you  oftener  than  you  would  believe 
and  far  more  tenderly  (particularly  in  these  later 
days)  than  I  myself  thought  possible.  At  Nor- 
derney  I  read  in  a  Hamburg  journal  of  your 
confinement,  and  of  a  verity  before  I  read  that  I 
had  less  quiet  nerves.  I  am  delighted  that  you 
have  a  boy !  May  God  keep  the  dear  child  in 
his  special  protection,  so  that  the  human  thing 
in  him  shall  not  be  crippled  too  early  ! 

Dear  Lotta,  wherever  I  may  happen  to  be,  my 
heart  is  poured  out  daily  in  the  most  loving  and 
pious  wishes  for  you  and  your  children.  May 
things  ever  go  smoothly  with  you  and  them ! 
Only  be  good  and  you  will  be  happy,  and  then 
your  children  will  be  good  and  happy  too.  I 
pray  you,  do  not  forget  me,  for  I  love  you 
much. 

Your  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

At  the  beginning  of  November  Heine  reached 
Hamburg  in  order  to  settle  down  there  as  a 
lawyer ;  but  in  a  very  little  time  he  gave  up  this 
plan  and  devoted  himself  entirely  to  the  profes- 
sion of  an  author. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          49 

The  first  part  of  the  "  Reisebilder  "  brought  out 
with  Campe,  had  made  its  appearance,  and  the 
literary  result,  glorious  beyond  all  measure,  may 
have  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  giving  up  of 
the  dry  legal  career  hardly  begun. 

The  effect  made  by  this  book  was  truly  sensa- 
tional. The  humorous,  intellectual  and  original 
method  of  his  prose  style,  just  like  the  novel 
metrical  structure  of  his  verse,  induced  a  tremen- 
dous revolution  in  German  literature  ;  imitated 
by  many,  it  ruled  their  style  for  a  long  period. 

Heinrich  Heine  lived  very  retired  in  Hamburg ; 
his  parents  had  emigrated  thither  from  Liineburg 
and  he  had  relations  with  few  families  beside 
theirs,  the  house  of  his  sister  and  those  of  his 
two  uncles.  He  gave  his  whole  time  to  finishing 
the  second  part  of  the  "  Reisebilder."  This  book 
also  had  the  same  remarkable  success  as  the  first. 

In  the  spring  of  1827,  soon  after  the  appearance 
of  the  last  mentioned  book,  Heine  went  to  Eng- 
land *  and  stayed  there  three  months.  He  wrote, 
"that  London  overtopped  his  expectations  with 
respect  to  its  enormous  size,  but  that  he  came 
near  giving  himself  up  for  lost  there.  Nothing 

*For  "  Englische  Fragmente,"  see  vol.  vi.  pp.  221-302.— TR, 


50         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

but  fog,  coal  smoke,  porter  and  Canning — and  so 
fearfully  wet  and  uncomfortable  !  The  eternal 
roast  beef  and  leg  of  mutton,  the  vegetables  as 
God  made  them — and  Heaven  guard  everybody 
from  their  sauces !  Send  a  philosopher  to  Lon- 
don ;  by  your  life,  no  poet !  "  On  his  return  trip 
Heine  passed  through  Holland  to  Norderney  and 
returned  to  Hamburg  at  the  end  of  September. 

First  appeared  the  "  Buch  der  Lieder,"  which 
the  entire  public  received  with  enthusiastic  plau- 
dits and  which  to-day  is  still  considered  the  most 
brilliant  product  of  Heine's  muse.  But  many 
critics  of  that  period  who  believed  that  the  old 
metrical  method  of  German  poesy  was  insulted, 
were  only  able  to  see  in  these  melodious  rhymes 
in  the  nature  of  folk  songs  an  artificial  metre 
without  style. 

The  objections  which  were  raised  against 
Heine  that  he  neglected  the  classic  forms  was 
very  unjust,  and  are  often  repeated  when  any- 
thing new  and  unaccustomed  is  created.  Heine 
did  not  write  sketchily  and  without  care,  but  laid 
uncommon  stress  upon  stylistic  finish  of  expres- 
sion. In  almost  all  the  sketches  among  his 
manuscripts  which  I  have  read  through,  there  is 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          51 

hardly  a  page  on  which  changes  and  improve- 
ments have  not  been  made. 

Heine  at  the  time  of  his  settlement  in  Ham- 
burg had  always  yielded  to  the  vague  hope  that 
he  would  get  a  position  there  as  a  syndic,  or 
else  in  Prussia  as  a  professor.  But  in  these  de- 
sires he  found  himself  disappointed.  He  resolved 
to  consider  a  permanent  engagement  as  journalist 
opened  up  by  Baron  Cotta  and  at  the  end  of 
the  year  betook  himself  to  Munich.  Cotta 
wished  to  make  a  positive  engagement  with 
Heine  as  editor  and  co-worker  on  the  Politische 
Annalen.  Heine  however,  who  wrote  several 
essays  for  the  Annalen,  was  willing  to  make  a 
permanent  engagement  for  six  months  only, 
because  great  prospects  were  shown  him  concern- 
ing a  chair  as  professor  in  the  Munich  University. 

The  Minister  at  that  time,  Eduard  von  Schenk, 
who  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  poet  and  gave 
him  his  friendship,  felt  quite  certain  that  Heine 
could  procure  the  desired  professorship  by  his 
aid.  Warmly  recommended  by  him  to  the  king, 
who  found  great  pleasure  in  reading  Heine's 
works,  the  decision  lay  with  Ludwig  I.  The 
decree  of  nomination  was  already  written  and 


52          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

he  would  have  received  the  place  through  the 
favor  of  the  art-loving  monarch,  had  not  Jesu- 
itical whispers  undermined  the  plan.  Slanders 
and  too  liberal  remarks  of  the  poet  caught  up 
by  eavesdroppers  were  brought  to  the  king; 
these  put  the  monarch  in  bad  humor  and 
spoiled  the  signing  of  the  decree.  Out  of 
temper,  Heine  left  that  Beery  Athens,  as 
he  called  Munich,  and  carried  out  his  long 
cherished  resolve  of  visiting  Italy.*  He  was 
accompanied  as  far  as  the  Tyrol  by  his  brother 
Max,  who  was  a  student  in  Munich. 

After  he  had  examined  the  monuments  and 
galleries  in  Verona,  Milan  and  Genoa,  he 
reached  the  baths  of  Lucca  at  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember, coming  by  way  of  Leghorn.  The  wild 
and  romantic  situation  of  Lucca  among  the 
Apennines  delighted  him  and  determined  him 
to  stay  four  weeks  for  the  hot  baths.  Deploring 
his  defective  knowledge  of  Italian,  he  wrote: 

"I  don't  understand  the  people  and  cannot 
talk  with  them.  I  see  Italy,  but  do  not  hear 
her.  Still  I  am  often  not  without  all  enter- 

*  For  the  Italian  journey,  see  Reisebilderll.,  in  vol.  vi.  pp.  i- 
211.  For  savage  verses  on  Ludwig  I.  and  his  son  Otto,  tempor- 
arily King  of  Greece,  see  vol.  ii.  pp.  114-118,  etc.— TR, 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.         53 

tainment.  The  very  stones  speak  here  and 
I  understand  their  silent  tongue.  Any  broken 
column  belonging  to  the  days  of  Rome,  any 
moldering  tower  of  the  Lombards,  any  weather- 
worn clustered  Gothic  pier  knows  very  well  what 
I  mean.  Many  a  time  the  old  palaces  want  to 
whisper  something  to  me  in  secret ;  but  I  cannot 
hear  their  answer  by  day  owing  to  the  hollow 
noises  of  life;  then  I  come  back  in  the  night 
and  the  moon  proves  a  good  interpreter  who 
understands  a  lapidary  style  ;  she  knows  how  to 
translate  into  the  dialect  of  my  heart.  Ay,  at 
night  I  can  understand  Italy  perfectly ;  then 
the  new  young  people  with  their  new  opera 
language  sleep  and  the  ancients  ascend  from 
their  cool  couches  and  speak  to  me  in  the  most 
polished  Latin." 

In  Florence,  the  art-loving  city  of  the  Medicis, 
Heine  stayed  almost  six  weeks  intoxicated  by 
the  art  treasures  and  picture  galleries ;  postpon- 
ing his  visit  to  Rome,  he  journeyed  back  by  way 
of  Venice.  There  he  had  the  sorrowful  news  of 
the  sudden  death  of  his  father,  and  hastened  his 
return  in  order  to  comfort  mother  and  sister  for 
the  loss  of  his  warmly  beloved  father. 


54         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

He  remained  in  Hamburg  with  his  people  till 
the  next  spring  and  then  returned  to  Berlin,  in 
order  to  repeat  with  the  help  of  his  influential 
family  his  efforts  to  obtain  a  state  appointment. 
He  dwelt  three  months  at  Potsdam  in  rural 
quiet,  busily  at  work  on  the  continuation  of  the 
third  volume  of  the  "  Reisebilder,"  and  after  a 
short  visit  to  Helgoland  took  up  his  residence 
again  in  Hamburg. 

Early  in  1830  occurred  the  publication  of  the 
book;  it  roused  a  great  sensation.  But  owing 
to  its  too  liberal  discussion  of  the  political  ques- 
tions of  the  day  and  of  affairs  of  religion,  it  was 
at  once  proscribed  throughout  the  whole  of  Ger- 
many. Max  Heine  wrote  in  this  connection  in 
his  diary : 

"Among  the  friends  my  brother  made  at  the 
University  of  Gottingen  was  Carl  von  Raumer, 
nephew  of  the  famous  historian,  writer  of  the 
story  of  the  Hohenstaufens.  I  was  very  intimate 
with  him.  He  was  a  highly  gifted,  poetic  and 
gushing  young  fellow,  who  at  that  very  time  was 
reading  with  me  enthusiastically  the  first  part  of 
the  '  Reisebilder,'  which  had  just  appeared. 
Later  he  became  Minister  of  Public  Instruction 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          55 

in  Prussia  and  in  the  aberration  of  his  pietism 
carried  it  so  far  as  to  forbid  the  sale  of 
Heinrich  Heine's  work  in  Prussia;  ay,  he 
caused  such  copies  as  were  seized  to  be  ground 
up." 

Scared,  many  of  his  early  friends  in  Berlin 
drew  anxiously  into  the  background,  and  Heine 
tried  to  forget  his  vexation  at  many  malignant 
anonymous  criticisms  in  various  newspapers 
among  the  cool  waves  of  the  North  Sea  off  Hel- 
goland. His  pain  at  these  attacks  could  not 
have  been  very  lasting  however,  for  his  sister 
Charlotte,  who  was  at  Ems  undergoing  treat- 
ment because  of  bad  health,  received  the  follow- 
ing letters : 

XVIII 

HELGOLAND,  July  28,  1830. 
DEAR  LOTTA: 

Although  a  friendly  correspondence  is  a  bitter 
pill  to  me,  and  though  I  have  nothing  whatever 
to  write  except  that  I  love  you,  still  I  cannot 
avoid  sending  you  a  couple  of  lines  to  the 
baths.  Really  I  have  nothing  else  to  say  to 
you  except  that  I  love  you  and  in  truth  very 


5 6         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

greatly!  Very  often  do  I  think  of  you — daily 
for  twenty-five  hours,  in  fact — and  my  highest 
hope  is  that  the  trip  will  restore  your  health. 
Honestly  I  am  oppressed  by  the  fear  that  your 
temperament  will  lead  you  to  forget  your  condi- 
tion and  the  purpose  of  the  journey,  as  well  as 
to  cause  you  to  yield  to  such  emotions  as  may 
harm  your  health  yet  more.  I  hope  you  have 
sense  enough  to  remember  yourself  and  your  chil- 
dren under  circumstances  that  may  occur.  Be 
sure  to  avoid  evening  social  gatherings ;  do  not 
give  way  to  your  temper;  be  patient  and  as  jolly 
as  possible.  Only  in  such  a  frame  of  mind  will  the 
baths  do  you  good.  You  see  I  give  you  good 
rules — but  honestly !  I  myself,  though  I'm  in 
similar  circumstances,  unfortunately  do  not  fol- 
low one  of  them. 

I  cannot  by  any  means  protect  myself  from  the 
gloomy  state  of  mind  which  weighs  on  me  here  ; 
I  am  in  a  lively  social  movement,  a  thing  that 
never  did  me  good  ;  chatter  far  too  much  ;  think 
too  much  ;  eat  too  much.  I  have  a  great  deal  of 
humming  and  knocking  in  my  ears  and  my 
headaches  are  at  their  highest  point  of  bloom. 
I  have  been  here  three  weeks  and  perhaps  shall 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          57 

stay  three  weeks  longer.  There  are  few  Ham- 
burg people  here,  but  among  them  the  Schroe- 
ders ;  we  dine  together,  gallop  about  the  North 
Sea  all  day  long,  and  I  like  them  well  enough — 
but  you  I  love  a  thousand  times  more — ay,  a 
million  times  more !  I  embrace  you  and  hope 
to  see  you  again  soon.  I  want  to  pass  the 
autumn  in  your  vicinage,  since  my  work  seldom 
permits  me  to  come  to  town.*  What  particu- 
larly is  going  on  there  en  famille  I  do  not  know 
since  mother  does  not  write. 

Farewell;  I  kiss  you  by  letter  and  next 
month  I  shall  kiss  you  by  mouth.  You  need 
not  write  any  answer.  Next  week  I  shall  write 
to  Immermann  and  will  shove  a  note  for 
you  into  his  letter.  So  on  your  arrival  in 
Diisseldorf  you  can  send  to  Judge  Immer- 
mann to  ask  if  he  has  not  received  a  letter  for 
you.  Farewell,  sweet  woman,  and  keep  me  in 
affection. 

Your  faithful  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

*  Charlotte  von  Embden  lived  at  the  time  in  Wandsbeck  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Hamburg. 


5 8         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

XIX 

HELGOLAND,  August,  1830. 
DEAR,  SWEET  SISTER: 

I  hope  that  this  letter  may  still  catch  you  and 
moreover  in  much  better  health.  As  to  mine,  it 
is  only  so-so.  For  my  trouble  bathing  in  the 
North  Sea  is  always  the  most  healing  thing. 
Although  I  have  had  enough  entertainment  on 
Helgoland  so  far,  I  think  constantly  of  you 
nevertheless.  Miss  Schroeder  has  departed,  but 
another  songstress,  the  Siebert  girl,  has  arrived 
and  I  have  a  lot  of  singsong  about  my  ears. 
With  the  Schroeder  girl  I  daily  quarreled  3 
times  and  made  up  i^  times.  I  shall  stay  here 
ten  days  more  and  then  return  to  Wandsbeck 
(or  St.  Georg)  to  take  up  work  again.  I  have 
no  news  from  Hamburg.  If  the  letter  catches 
you  in  Dusseldorf  still,  as  I  hope,  greet  uncle 
and  aunt  for  me  most  heartily.  Be  careful  of 
your  health  ;  don't  let  yourself  be  vexed  and 
keep  me  in  affection.  I  trust  to  seeing  you  in 
a  fortnight.  Calypso  ne  pouvait  se  consoler  du 
dtpart  d' Ulysse  ! 

It  must  have  been  lively  in  Ems  and  you,  so 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.         59 

to  speak,  went  to  meet  the  French  Revolution 
halfway.     I  kiss  you. 

Your  faithful  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

The  French  Revolution  of  July,  1830,  which 
Heine  mentioned  waggishly  in  the  last  letter,  was 
destined  to  exert  a  fateful  action  on  his  life  ;  it 
was  welcomed  by  the  young  poet  with  plaudits 
and  exuberant  enthusiasm.  The  fall  of  Bour- 
bon absolutism  and  the  victory  of  the  people's 
party  wrought  upon  his  spirit  in  a  powerful, 
passionate  way.  Heine  expressed  this  impres- 
sion in  the  liveliest  fashion  in  the  appendix  to 
the  "  Reisebilder,"  which  appeared  in  1831  ;  also 
in  the  preface  to  Kahldorfs  pamphlet  on  the 
nobility  in  letters  to  Count  M.  von  Moltke, 
which  was  written  at  the  same  time.*  Weary  of 
the  outrages  which  the  poet  had  to  support  in 
his  own  land,  especially  the  proscription  in 
Germany  of  his  writings,  his  prior  plan  of  car- 
rying out  the  emigration  to  France  ripened. 
At  the  end  of  April,  with  a  farewell  greeting  to 
Germany — the  poems  of  "  The  New  Spring," 

*See  vol.  xii.  pp.  7-20  for  Einleitung  zu  Kahldorf  tiber  den 
Adel  in  Briefen  an  den  Grafen  M.  von  Moltke  (1831).— TR. 


60         FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINKlCti  HEINE. 

dedicated  to  his  sister  Charlotte — Heine  left 
Hamburg  and  reached  Paris  at  the  end  of  July. 

The  reasons  for  his  emigration  were  described 
in  his  "  Confessions  "  in  the  following  humorous 
way : 

"I  had  done  much  and  borne  much,  and  when 
the  sun  of  the  Revolution  of  July  arose  in  France 
I  had  become  absolutely  worn  out  and  needed 
recreation.  Moreover  the  atmosphere  of  home 
had  become  day  by  day  more  and  more  unhealthy 
for  me  and  I  had  to  consider  seriously  a  change 
of  climate.  I  had  visions.  The  clouds  fright- 
ened me  and  made  all  sorts  of  ominous  grimaces 
at  me.  Often  methought  the  sun  was  a  Prussian 
cockade ;  I  dreamed  o'  nights  of  an  ugly  black 
vulture  that  devoured  my  liver  and  I  became 
very  melancholy.  Besides,  I  had  made  the 
acquaintance  of  an  old  Berlin  justice  of  the  peace 
who  had  passed  many  years  in  the  fortress  of 
Spandau  and  who  told  me  how  very  unpleasant 
it  was  when  one  had  to  wear  the  irons  in  winter. 
In  fact  I  thought  it  extremely  unchristian  that 
they  did  not  warm  the  poor  fellows'  fetters  a 
little.  If  they  would  only  warm  our  chains  a  bit, 
these  would  not  make  such  a  disagreeable 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          6 1 

impression,  and  then  even  shivery  persons  could 
wear  them  fairly  well ;  besides,  they  ought  to 
have  the  forethought  to  perfume  the  chains  with 
extract  of  roses  and  laurels,  as  they  do  in  this 
country.  I  asked  my  justice  of  the  peace  if  they 
often  gave  him  oysters  for  dinner  at  Spandau. 
He  said  no  ;  Spandau  was  too  far  from  the  ocean. 
Meat  too,  he  said,  was  rather  uncommon  there, 
and  as  to  game  on  wings,  there  was  nothing  but 
the  flies  that  fell  into  one's  soup.  At  the  same 
period  I  formed  the  acquaintance  of  a  French 
commis  voyageur,  who  was  traveling  for  a  wine 
business  and  who  could  not  boast  enough  of  the 
jollity  of  life  in  Paris  at  present — how  the  skies 
were  hung  with  fiddles  and  how  from  morn  till 
eve  people  sang  the  '  Marseillaise '  and  '  En 
Avant  Marchons  '  and  '  Lafayette  aux  Cheveux 
Blancs,'  and  how  Liberty,  Equality  and  Fra- 
ternity were  written  up  at  all  the  street  corners. 
At  the  same  time  he  praised  the  champagne  sold 
by  his  house  and  gave  me  a  large  number  of 
copies  of  their  card,  and  promised  to  let  me  have 
letters  of  recommendation  to  the  best  restaurants 
of  Paris  in  case  I  wished  to  visit  the  capital  for 
my  own  enjoyment.  Now  as  I  really  needed 


62          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

something  to  enliven  me,  and  Spandau  is  too 
far  from  the  ocean  to  eat  oysters  there,  and  the 
wild-fowl  soup  of  Spandau  did  not  particularly 
allure  me,  and  besides,  the  Prussian  chains  are 
exceeding  cold  in  winter  and  could  not  well  be 
of  use  to  my  health — I  resolved  to  journey  to 
Paris  and  in  the  native  land  of  champagne  and 
the  '  Marseillaise  '  to  drink  the  former  and  listen 
to  the  singing  of  the  latter,  not  to  speak  of  '  En 
Avant  Marchons '  and  '  Lafayette  aux  Cheveux 
Blancs!'*" 

Before  his  departure  to  Paris  Heinrich  lived 
with  his  mother  on  the  Neuenwall,  No.  28,  and 
as  he  in  no  wise  intended  to  take  up  his  perma= 
nent  abode  in  France,  he  left  his  correspondence, 
with  finished  and  unfinished  manuscripts  at  his 
mother's.  In  1833  fire  broke  out  in  this  place  and 
all  his  papers  went  up  in  smoke.  Unfortunately 
the  letters  sent  to  his  mother  and  sister  during  the 
Italian  voyage  and  the  first  years  of  his  residence 
in  Paris  were  burned  at  the  same  time.  All  the 
letters  in  which  mention  was  made  of  Ludwig 
Robert,  M.  Moser  and  Julius  Campe  were  then 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  Heine  lamented  in  vari- 
ous letters — July  16,  1833  to  Varnhagen  and 

*  See  vol.  viii.  pp.  29-30. — TR, 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          63 

March  7,  1837  to  Julius  Campe — what  a  loss  of 
manuscripts  he  had  sustained  through  the  fire  in 
his  mother's  dwelling. 

Paris — beautiful,  great,  elegant,  unprejudiced 
Eldorado,  with  her  theatres,  balls  and  uncon- 
cealed enjoyments,  made  an  intoxicating  impres- 
sion on  Heine.  Supplied  with  good  introductions, 
Heine  soon  became  acquainted  with  the  most 
prominent  political  and  literary  magnates  in  the 
salons  of  elegant  society.  Not  merely  giving 
himself  up  to  the  whirl  of  pleasures,  but  also  ob- 
serving everything,  Heine  described  the  new 
impressions  with  a  joyous  and  humorous  pen  in 
articles  for  the  newspapers  and  in  letters.  He 
wrote  how  Paris  entranced  him  by  the  gayety 
which  appeared  in  all  social  phenomena,  and 
how  the  courteous,  kindly,  polite  manners  of  the 
Parisian  people  pleased  him. 

"  Sweet  perfume  of  politeness,  how  you  did 
refresh  and  restore  my  wretched  soul,  which  in 
Germany  had  been  forced  to  swallow  so  much  to- 
bacco fumes,  sauerkraut  smell  and  brutality ! 
But  beside  politeness  the  speech  of  the  French 
folk  has  for  me  a  certain  tinge  of  good  breeding  ; 
and  any  Parisian  dame  de  la  halle  speaks  more  at- 


64         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

tractively  than  a  German  abbess  with  sixty-four 
ancestors." 

In  the  publisher's  shop  of  Heideloff  &  Campe 
on  the  Rue  Vivienne  Heine  was  to  be  found 
daily;  this  was  a  place  of  meeting  for  all  the 
more  prominent  Germans  who  visited  Paris  as 
travelers  or  had  chosen  for  that  city  their  abode. 
Felix  Mendelssohn,  Michael  Beer,  Koreff,  Alex- 
ander von  Humboldt,  Baron  Maltitz  and  many 
more  made  the  shop  their  place  of  tryst  in  order 
to  swap  with  each  other  news  from  home. 

Above  all  things  the  splendid  galleries  of  the 
Louvre  riveted  Heine's  attention,  as  well  as  the 
great  annual  exhibitions  of  paintings;  and  his  re- 
ports on  the  latter,  in  the  first  part  of  the  "  Salon" 
which  appeared  in  1833,  belong  to  his  best  work 
in  the  field  of  the  fine  arts  because  of  the  really 
plastic  descriptions  he  gave  of  individual  pictures. 

Heine's  political  reports  for  the  Augsburger 
Allgemeine  Zeitung,  badly  mauled  by  the  censor- 
ship in  Germany,  appeared  later  in  the  original 
form  under  the  title,  "Condition  of  France,"*  and 
in  this  the  unsparing  and  extraordinarily  bold 
statements  of  the  preface  threw  a  strong  light  on 
*  See  vols,  ix.  and  x.  for  "  Franzosische  Zustande."— TR, 


FA  MIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          65 

the    oppression    and   fettering   of   the    German 
press. 

The  goadings  of  the  censorship  and  a  small 
difference  of  opinion  with  his  publisher  in  that 
regard  had  so  attacked  his  exceedingly  irritable 
nerves  that  Heine  had  to  seek  relief  at  the  baths 
and  later,  having  quite  restored  his  strength,  he 
wrote : 

XX 

PARIS,  October  25,  1833. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  have  been  back  here  eight  days  from  Bou- 
logne, where  I  was  for  the  last  six  weeks  very 
comfortable,  well  and  jolly.  Bathing  certainly 
did  me  no  harm,  but  still  not  so  much  good  as  for- 
merly. I  do  not  feel  myself  strengthened  by  it 
as  before  in  body  and  mind,  and  so  must  look 
about  for  another  remedy. 

To  you,  dear  Lotta,  heartiest  thanks  for  the 
letters  from  your  chicks;  tell  Marie  and  Ludwig 
that  I  shall  answer  them  myself  as  soon  as  I  have 
time. 

A  kiss  to  your  youngest.  To  be  hoped  you 
are  well — think  of  you  constantly — you  can 


66          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

hardly  imagine  how  much  I  love  you,  dear  Lotta. 
Yesterday  I  saw  a  young  woman  who  looked  ex* 
actly  as  you  did  before  you  were  married.  Chris- 
tiani  and  wife  are  not  back  yet  from  Bordeaux. 

Your  wailings,  dear  mother,  over  the  extraor- 
dinary malheur  not  to  have  sight  of  me  must  be 
stopped.  To  come  here  into  France  is  not  to  be 
thought  of;  give  it  up  or  else  be  assured  that 
I  shall  travel  to  Egypt,  whither  I  have  long 
cherished  a  great  desire  to  journey.  If  it  is  not 
possible  for  you  to  do  without  my  winsome  sight, 
you  know  that  I  am  not  a  disobedient  son  and 
that  I  will  fulfill  every  one  of  your  wishes  if  it  is 
not  inconsistent  with  your  own  welfare.  I  can- 
not and  will  not  allow  you  to  travel  by  sea — not 
by  any  means,  otherwise  I  am  off  to  Egypt !  But 
if  you  insist  upon  it,  I  will  come  this  summer  to 
Hamburg  for  eight  days,  to  that  disgraceful  lair 
where  I  shall  give  my  enemies  the  triumph  of 
seeing  me  again  and  being  able  to  heap  insults 
upon  me. 

I  do  not  really  believe  that  I  shall  expose  my- 
self to  any  danger  owing  to  my  political  position. 
But  caution  is  advisable  in  all  things.  You 
must  not  let  a  soul  beside  Lotta  suspect  that  I  so 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          67 

much  as  cherish  the  idea  of  coming  to  Ham- 
burg ;  otherwise  I  shall  put  my  enemies  even  now 
on  guard.  But  if  I  come  unexpectedly  they  will 
have  no  time  to  take  counsel  and  come  to  Ham- 
burg. You  will  presently  learn  how  much  the 
Prussians  are  on  the  watch  for  me  ;  between  our- 
selves perhaps  I  exaggerate  the  matter ;  but  still 
I  am  careful,  and  just  because  I  do  take  great  pre- 
cautions you  can  always  be  without  anxiety  on 
my  account. 

I  am  safe  in  all  places,  am  without  passions  and 
quiet — and  am  growing  a  big  stomach  like  Burg- 
miiller.* 

Counsel  comes  with  time.  At  present  my 
circumstances  are  so  muddy  that  I  cannot 
determine  what  I  shall  do  within  a  six  weeks. 
Mayhap  many  a  thing  in  this  world  will  change 
during  that  time,  and  I  myself  meanwhile  may 
obtain  at  least  time  and  opportunity  to  consider 
quietly  such  a  matter  as  a  journey  to  you.  So 
wait  a  little  ;  don't  make  my  head  spin.  I  have 
a  lot  in  my  noddle. 

I  had  retained  my  rooms  in  town,  where  for  a 

*  Composer  and  his  sister  Charlotte's  music  teacher  in  DUssel- 
dorf. 


68          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

year  I  enjoyed  the  greatest  quiet,  and  then, 
unhappy  one !  as  I  returned  a  family  moved  in 
below  me  with  a  frightful  row  and  screaming  of 
children ! 

Farewell ;  tell  me  what  Max  has  to  say.  I 
have  great  works  in  my  head,  if  I  could  only 
obtain  quiet.  God  knows,  I  would  make  but 
little  row  if  I  were  not  always  forced  to  make  it. 

Write  to  me,  dear  Lotta.  Talk  sense  into 
mother.  Only  write  me  exactly  how  mother, 
you  and  the  children  are. 

H.  HEINE. 

Heine's  brothers  had  also  left  Hamburg. 
Gustav,  born  in  1803,  had  entered  the  Austrian 
army  after  he  had  first  tried  farming  and  then 
mercantile  pursuits;  he  had  risen  in  the  cavalry 
to  first  lieutenant.  After  his  marriage  with 
Emma  Calm,  who  bore  him  three  sons  and  two 
daughters,  he  left  the  service,  founded  in  Vienna, 
beginning  very  modestly,  the  later  official  and 
widely  read  Fremdenblatt,  was  raised  to  the 
nobility,  and  died  in  Vienna,  November  15,  1886 
as  a  millionaire  several  times  over. 

Max,  born  in  1805,  after  finishing  his  medical 


FAMtL  Y  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.         69 

studies,  entered  the  civil  service  of  Russia,  took 
part  in  the  Russian  campaign  in  the  Caucasus 
as  an  army  doctor,  became  physician  to  the 
Institute  of  Cadets,  received  a  title,  became 
court  counselor,  and  left  the  service  with  the 
title  of  counselor  of  state  after  his  marriage 
with  the  widow  of  the  imperial  physician,  Privy 
Councilor  von  Arndt.  He  was  known  as  the 
author  of  several  medical  works :  "  Medical- 
Topographical  Sketch  of  St.  Petersburg,"  1844; 
"History  of  the  Oriental  Pest,"  1846;  "Frag- 
ments from  the  History  of  Medicine  in  Russia," 
1848;  "  Items  of  Medical  History  from  Russia," 
1851  ;  "Letters  of  Travel  of  a  Physician,"  1853. 
He  was  the  author  of  several  literary  works: 
"  Sketch  of  Gretsch  "  ;  "  The  Wonders  of  Lake 
Ladoga";  "Pictures  from  Turkey";  "Letters 
from  St.  Petersburg  "  ;  "  Poems  " ;  and  "  Reminis- 
cences of  Heinrich  Heine  and  His  Family,"  1868. 
He  died  in  Berlin  the  sixth  of  November  1879. 

The  many  worriments  of  the  German  censor- 
ship, together  with  the  resolutions  passed  by  the 
German  Bundestag,  which  proscribed  not  only  all 
of  Heine's  existing  works,  but  those  which  he 
might  write  in  future,  raised  a  bar  against  his 


7°         FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HE1NR1CH  HEINE. 

activity  as  a  writer.  As  early  as  1832  he  had 
caused  a  few  articles  to  be  tucked  into  the  Revue 
des  deux  Mondes,  which  received  much  applause, 
and  in  consequence  he  resolved  to  translate  all 
his  earlier  works  into  French.  Each  of  his  books 
as  it  appeared  excited  in  an  ascending  degree  of 
fervor  an  undreamed  of  recognition  and  appre- 
ciation in  the  French  nation. 

A  serious  evil  for  Heine  were  the  political 
refugees  who  at  that  time  overflowed  Paris 
and  toward  whose  theories  of  destruction  he 
held  himself  averse.  These  men  in  collusion 
with  the  Paris  correspondents  of  German  papers 
cast  suspicion  on  his  character  by  lying  gossip. 
It  hurt  him  sorely  that  even  Borne  joined  this 
movement  and  permitted  himself  to  make  sharp 
attacks  on  Heine  in  his  letters  from  Paris,  as  well 
as  in  the  Reformat eur,  and  accused  him  of  cow- 
ardly tacking  between  the  parties  and  an  ambig- 
uous diplomacy.  In  his  letters  to  various  friends 
he  poured  out  his  bitterness  over  this  unfair  in- 
sult, adding  that  he  was  not  willing  to  sacrifice 
his  activity  as  an  author  to  a  newspaper  quarrel 
which  would  absorb  his  time  and  should  there- 
fore for  the  moment  remain  silent. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          71 

After  the  "  Condition  of  France,"  the  second 
part  of  his  "  History  of  Literature,"  and  the 
second,  third  and  fourth  parts  of  the  "  Salon  "  had 
appeared,  he  published  in  1840  his  book  on  Borne.* 
With  the  years  his  rancor  about  Borne's  con- 
duct had  kept  on  growing,  because  the  latter's 
early  attacks  had  found  a  willing  echo  among 
his  enviers  and  foes,  and  at  last  the  long  an- 
nounced work  appeared.  Meantime  Borne  had 
died  and  to  the  taunt  of  the  latter's  friends  that 
Heine  had  not  published  it  while  Borne  was 
alive  Heine  replied:  "  Then  people  would  have 
said  of  me  that  my  book  had  killed  him  and  I 
had  worried  him  to  death." 

Mrs.  Wohl,  the  friend  of  Borne  concerning 
whom  Heine  had  made  various  remarks  which 
wounded  her  sadly,  caused  her  friends  to  put 
together  a  peculiar  little  volume  in  which  were 
collected  and  published  all  the  hateful  utter- 
ances Borne  had  made  concerning  Heine  in  pri- 
vate letters  addressed  to  her.  A  year  had  gone 
by ;  Heine  had  quite  forgot  the  matter,  when  a 
certain  Mr.  Salomon  Strauss  introduced  himself 


*See  vol.  xi.  pp.  163-301,  "  Heinrich   Heine  liber  Ludwig 
Borne." — TR. 


72          FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

as  the  husband  of  the  injured  lady  and  demanded 
of  Heine  a  public  apology  or  satisfaction  by  way 
of  arms. 

The  duel  took  place  ;  Heine  received  a  grazing 
bullet  which  slightly  cut  his  hip — and  there- 
with was  honor  satisfied  !  But  for  many  years 
Frankfort  was  the  source  of  numberless  para- 
graphs which  cast  scandal  on  his  private  life 
and  found  acceptance  in  German  and  French 
papers. 

The  dragging  of  utterances  of  the  confessional 
into  the  question  was  all  the  more  painful  to 
Heine  because  people  made  the  accusation  that 
the  change  of  religion  which  he  undertook  was 
not  in  accordance  with  his  inner  persuasion. 
His  entrance  into  the  evangelical  (Lutheran) 
religion  had  everything  to  do  with  the  purpose 
of  settling  in  Hamburg  as  a  lawyer,  a  profession 
which  at  that  time  was  open  in  Germany  only  to 
members  of  the  Christian  Church.  Therefore  it 
was  that  he  wrote  to  Moser :  "  It  can  move  me 
but  little  that  they  drag  the  poet  from  his  pedes- 
tal, but  that  they  strike  so  hard,  or  it  were  better 
to  say,  cudgel  away  so  hard  at  my  private  life  is  ex- 
tremely vexatious.  As  long  as  I  remained  a  Jew 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          73 

people  called  me  a  Greek  of  Hellas — and 
scarcely  am  I  baptized  when  I  am  scouted  as  a 
Jew  " !  * 

But  his  book  on  Borne  was  to  exert  a  still 
greater  influence  on  his  future  ;  for  Heine,  who 
had  entered  into  a  relationship  with  a  beautiful, 
lively  girl  and  shared  his  lodgings  with  her, 
desired  to  secure  her  future  at  all  hazards  prior  to 
the  duel,  not  knowing  how  it  might  turn  out, 
and  so  he  caused  himself  to  be  legally  united  to 
her.  The  blessing  on  their  union  was  given  in 
the  church  of  St.  Sulpice  and  a  legitimate  bond 
now  connected  him  with  a  warmly  loved  com- 
panion for  many  years  of  his  life. 

Concerning  this  step  his  sister  received  the 
following : 

*  Heine  dubbed  his  enemy  Ludwig  Borne  a  Nazarene  and  ex- 
plained his  views  of  Jew  and  Christian  as  follows  ("H.  Heine  iiber 
L.  Borne,"  1840)  :  "  I  say  Nazarene  in  order  to  use  neither  'Jewish' 
nor  'Christian,'  although  both  expressions  are  synonymous  to 
me  and  are  never  used  by  me  to  denote  a  faith,  but  an  individuality. 
'  Jews '  and  '  Christians '  are  words  that  have  quite  the  same 
sense  in  contrast  to  '  Hellenes,'  with  which  I  likewise  denote  no 
special  people,  but  a  bent  of  mind  and  point  of  view  of  certain 
men,  born  and  cultivated  in  them.  In  this  connection  I  wish  to 
say  :  All  men  are  either  Jews  or  Hellenes,  namely  :  persons  with 
ascetic,  iconoclastic,  spiritualizing  impulses,  or,  persons  with  a 
realistic  nature,  glad  with  life  and  proud  of  development." — TR. 


74         FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

XXI 

PARIS,  September  13,  1841. 
DEAR  AND  MUCH  BELOVED  SISTER: 

Only  to-day  am  I  able  to  officially  announce 
to  you  my  marriage.  On  August  31  I  wedded 
Mathilde  Creszentia  Mirat,  with  whom  I  have 
been  quarreling  every  day  for  more  than  six 
years.  However  she  has  the  noblest  and  purest 
heart,  is  as  good  as  an  angel,  and  her  conduct 
during  the  many  years  of  our  life  in  common 
so  unblemished  that  all  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances have  boasted  of  her  as  a  model  of  pro- 
priety.  *****  H.HEINE. 

Heine  wrote  to  his  friend  Lewald  on  the 
announcement  of  the  marriage :  "  This  marital 
duel  which  shall  never  end  until  one  of  us  is 
killed  is  certainly  more  perilous  than  the  brief 
visit  to  the  field  of  honor  with  Salomon  Strauss 
from  the  Judengasse  of  Frankfort." 

XXII 

PARIS,  March  8,  1842. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER: 

I  trust  that  these  lines  reach  you  in  the  best 
of  health;  with  much  impatience  I  await  news 


MATH1LDE   MIRAT,   HEINE  S   WIFE. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       75 

from  you — how  you  are,  how  Lotta  is,  and 
generally  how  things  progress  in  the  family. 
Affairs  with  me  are  a  little  better  of  late ;  my 
eyes  are  quite  restored  again,  and  it  is  only  my 
facial  paralysis  that  remains,  and  that  is  by  no 
means  painful.  Unfortunately  my  wife  has 
been  ill  for  ten  days  and  only  at  this  moment 
has  she  dared  to  go  out  again.  Moreover  it 
has  been  frightfully  cold,  and  that  has  not  yet 
entirely  left  us.  I  live  a  quiet  life,  well  reasoned 
out  and  hopeful.  Nothing  new  has  occurred, 
thank  God !  I  already  belong  to  the  people  who 
are  satisfied  if  things  remain  as  of  yore.  Every 
change  and  noise  are  distasteful — you  can 
see  by  that  I  have  grown  old.  For  the  last  six 
months  I  have  felt  a  frightful  weariness  of  spirit 
and  as  the  hundred-year-old  Veronica  remarked : 
"  My  thoughts  grow  less."  But  this  is  a  pass- 
ing condition — I  know  that  well  enough — 
the  sequence  of  great  emotion,  since  unfortu- 
nately for  the  last  eight  years  I  have  passed 
the  time  in  an  impassioned  state  of  mind. 

Thank  God,  my  wife  conducts  herself  extremely 
well.  She  is  a  thoroughly  square,  honest,  kind 
creature,  without  falseness  or  malice.  Unfor- 


76          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

tunately  her  temperament  is  very  boisterous,  her 
whims  never  the  same  and  often  she  is  more  irri- 
tating to  me  than  soothing.  I  am  still  bound  to 
her  with  my  whole  soul.  She  is  ever  my  most 
inward  necessity  of  life — but  even  that  will  end 
some  time  and  I  look  forward  to  this  period 
with  horror.  Then  I  shall  feel  only  the  burden  of 
her  whims  without  the  sympathy  that  makes  them 
easier  to  bear.  At  other  times  anxiety  for  the 
helplessness  and  lack  of  judgment  of  my  wife 
worries  me  in  case  I  die,  for  she  is  as  inexperienced 
and  without  judgment  as  a  three-year-old  child  ! 
You  see,  dear  mother,  how  my  troubles  are  at 
bottom  merely  the  whimsies  of  a  hypochondriac, 
for  the  most  part  ! 

For  the  spring  I  have  already  made  my  re- 
solves ;  I  am  going  into  the  country  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Paris  and  not  to  the  baths.  Al- 
though my  finances  are  somewhat  in  order,  this 
move  will  be  more  agreeable  to  them  than  travel. 
The  journey  to  the  Pyrenees  and  the  bad  luck 
that  came  about  the  same  time  ruined  me  for  a 
time  and  I  had  difficulty  in  getting  into  the 
grooves  again. 

And  now  farewell,  and  greet  Lotta  and  her 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          77 

kittens.     Daily  I  speak  of  you  to  my  wife,  who 
would  so  much  like  to  see  all  of  you. 

I  send  kisses  to  the  bridal  couple ;  what  date 
is  fixed  for  the  wedding? 

My  seton  in  the  neck  does  me  good  and  hurts 
hardly  at  all. 

Your  obedient  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

On  the  night  of  the  fourth  of  May  1842  the 
great  fire  broke  out  in  Hamburg  which  laid  half 
the  city  in  ashes  and  also  burnt  the  house  of  the 
poet's  mother.  Notwithstanding  the  unhappy 
experience  of  1833  Heine  had  sent  her  for  the 
second  time  for  safe  keeping  a  chest  full  of  manu- 
scripts and  letters,  since  he  thought  them  safer 
there  than  in  his  own  abode,  which  was  often 
changed.  His  mother  lived  on  the  Neuenwall, 
which  became  the  prey  of  the  flames,  and  in  the 
course  of  this  catastrophe  the  poor  poet's  papers, 
his  intellectual  treasures,  went  up  in  smoke  ;  he 
said  himself  that  they  were  irreparable.  He 
wrote:  " These  manuscripts  were  the  product  of 
the  first  strength  of  my  youth,  and  I  shall  never 
be  able  to  write  them  down  again  as  they  stood. 


7 8          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

I  wanted  to  let  them  lie  in  order  to  draw  later  from 
the  accumulated  capital  in  my  old  days  when  the 
freshness  of  my  mind  shall  have  worn  off  owing 
to  weakened  health." 

Heine's  sister  Charlotte  tried  at  the  risk  of  her 
own  life  to  penetrate  her  mother's  abandoned 
house  in  order  to  save  his  papers.  She  was  able 
to  reach  the  street  with  a  parcel  of  manuscripts ; 
but  there  the  situation  had  swiftly  changed.  Fire 
from  the  houses  opposite  sent  a  rain  of  sparks  and 
ashes  down  on  her  and  thick  smoke-clouds  dark- 
ened her  senses  with  a  choking  vapor.  Pushed 
forward  by  the  escaping  throng,  she  kept  a  des- 
perate hold  on  the  papers  in  her  hands,  which 
however  fell  to  the  ground  at  a  sudden  push. 
Then  her  senses  failed  and  she  would  have  been 
lost  had  not  some  person  unknown  been  merciful 
enough  to  drag  her  out  of  danger. 


XXIII 

PARIS,  May  13,  1842. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  AND  DEAR  SISTER  : 

Yesterday  evening  I  received  your  letter  of  the 
/th  and  at  least  have  been  able  on  its  account  to 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          79 

sleep  quietly  through  the  night.  For  twenty-four 
hours  I  have  been  going  about  headless,  since  I 
learned  the  alarming  news  from  the  papers.  I 
am  lost  in  wonder  at  you,  dear  Lotta  !  How  you 
could  write  so  quietly  and  sensibly — at  the  sight 
of  that  frightful  conflagration.  I  thank  you  from 
my  heart  for  setting  me  at  rest  as  you  have. 

My  wife  is  sick  from  fright  since  she  learned 
the  fearful  news.  I  hope  that  the  scare  and 
agitation  did  not  upset  you  afterward.  My 
poor,  kind  mother  !  Do  not  agitate  yourself  too 
much  from  sorrow  at  material  losses. 

God  is  a  good  man.  This  time  however  he 
has  trusted  too  much  to  the  good  fire  establish- 
ments of  Hamburg. 

Farewell  ;    I  send    friendly    greeting    to    my 
brother-in-law.     I  hope  to  get  a  good  mail  to-day. 
Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

XXIV 

PARIS,  May  17,  1842. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  AND  DEAR  SISTER; 

I  have  your  letter  of  the  ninth  all  right  and 
thank  God  that  we  got  off  with  a  black  eye  as 


8o         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

we  did.  It  is  certainly  a  sorrowful  thing  that 
dear  mother's  house  is  burned,  but  the  main 
point  for  us  is  this :  your  house,  dear  Lotta,  was 
untouched.  I  hope  that  in  another  way  also 
you  have  not  lost  much  by  the  mishap  ;  I  there- 
fore feel  at  rest  on  a  matter  which  from  the  first 
was  my  chief  care.  Your  husband  is  of  an  ener- 
getic, practical  character  and  he  will  replace  small 
losses  soon  through  his  newly  stimulated  in- 
dustry. Did  mother  have  her  things  insured, 
and  will  the  companies  pay?  Give  me  some 
news  in  this  respect  also.  I  am  still  as  it  were 
deafened  by  the  whole  cursed  business ;  the 
nerves  of  my  head  were  suddenly  shaken  and 
perhaps  it  will  be  to-morrow  or  day  after  before 
my  brain  clears. 

While  people  were  asking  me  from  all  sides 
for  news  from  Hamburg  last  Friday  I  showed 
a  friend  your  letter  of  the  7th,  and  this  man 
thought  it  extremely  touching  that  my  poor 
mother  thought  of  prepaying  the  letter  for  me, 
although  everything  was  then  in  flames.  Verily 
it  is  not  my  fault  that  this  item  has  come  to  be 
published,  as  you  will  see  by  the  inclosed  cutting 
from  the  Nationale,  and  several  important 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          81 

journals  have  already  given  the  incident.  My 
poor,  kind  mother,  who  wants  to  spare  me  the 
cost  of  a  few  sous  while  the  fire  is  before  your 
door!  Now  at  any  rate  she  will  not  prepay  the 
postage  any  more,  just  out  of  spite  ! 

And  now  farewell  and  keep  me  in  affection. 
Kisses  to  the  children.  Write  me  often  and 
much.  My  wife  asks  to  be  heartily  remembered. 
She  was  very  much  overwhelmed  at  the  news 
from  Hamburg ;  she  has  a  very  weak  head,  but  a 
most  excellent  heart.  That  Campe  was  insured 
and  is  paid  his  insurance  is  very  important  to  me. 
Have  written  him  to-day. 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

XXV 

Monsieur  Mr.  Henri  Heine, 
agent  de  change 

Hi  Hambourg. 

PARIS,  May  16,  1842.* 
MY  DEAR  UNCLE: 

I  hope  that  the  affrights  of  the  horrible  mis- 
hap which  has  struck  Hamburg  have  not  made 

*  Mrs.  Anna  Hanau,  formerly  Miss  Oswalt  of  Frankfort-on-the- 
Main,  a  friend  of  Henry  Heine,  owns  the  original. 


82          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

you  ill.  I  can  easily  imagine  how  great  is  the 
upset  to  your  nerves,  since  even  at  this  distance 
I  felt  it  myself ;  to  the  present  hour  I  have  had 
a  singular  stunned  feeling  in  my  head.  For 
twenty-four  hours  I  was  without  news  of  any 
kind  concerning  you,  when  at  last  I  received  a 
letter  from  my  dear  mother  and  sister.  Lotta 
wrote  with  a  sense  and  a  quiet  worthy  of  a  field 
marshal.  Here  in  Paris  the  misfortune  made  a 
great  sensation  and  met  with  a  sympathy  which 
is  truly  cause  for  shame  to  those  Hamburg  people 
who  are  not  healed  of  their  hatred  of  the  French, 
but  continue  to  show  the  same  down  to  the 
present.  The  French  are  the  squarest  of  people. 

So  then,  notwithstanding  the  excellent  fire 
engine  plant  of  which  you  have  always  boasted, 
you  are  half  burned  to  the  ground !  What  a 
stretch  between  the  Deichstrasse  and  Uncle 
Heine's  on  the  Jungfernstieg !  The  Jung- 
fernstieg  burnt  down  along  with  the  pavilions! 
I  am  very  desirous  to  learn  how  far  the  insurance 
companies  will  fulfill  their  obligations. 

Farewell,  dear  uncle,  and  greet  Aunt  Jette 
heartily  from  me ;  she  must  have  been  not  a 
little  anxious;  and  also  Hermann  and  the  young 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          83 

ladies.  My  wife,  who  is  in  the  country  for  her 
health  at  this  moment,  came  in  weeping  that 
day  when  she  heard  of  the  misfortune  ;  for  the 
rest  she  is  in  fair  health.  The  catastrophe  on 
the  Versailles  railway  also  shook  us  a  good  deal, 
because  many  of  our  friends  were  destroyed  by 
it.  What  wretchedness ! 

Your  faithful  nephew, 

H.  HEINE. 

Concerning  the  great  Hamburg  conflagration 
Heine  wrote  on  occasion  :  "  Poor  old  Hamburg 
is  a  wreck,  and  the  spots  I  knew  so  well,  which 
are  so  intimately  bound  up  with  all  the  reminis- 
cences of  my  youth  are  now  a  smoking  ash  heap  ! 
I  deplore  most  the  loss  of  that  old  St.  Peter's 
tower — it  was  so  lifted  up  and  superior  above  the 
pettinesses  of  its  surroundings!  The  city  will 
soon  be  built  up  again — my  old  crook-cornered, 
slab-sided  Hamburg !  The  big  gabled  house 
where  my  cobbler  lived,  and  where  I  devoured 
oysters  alongside  the  flaunting — a  prey  to  the 
flames !  The  Hamburger  Correspondent  it  is 
true  reports  that  the  "Dirtwall  "  will  soon  arise 
like  a  phenix  from  the  ashes — but  alas,  it  will 


84          FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

never  be  the  same  old  Dreckwall  again  !  And 
the  town  hall — how  often  I  stood  entranced  be- 
fore the  paintings  of  emperors  which,  as  if  carved 
out  of  Hamburg  smoked  beef,  ornamented  its 
facade!  Are  all  the  magnificent  and  finely 
powdered  bigwigs  saved  which  gave  to  the  heads 
of  the  republic  there  a  majestic  appearance? 
Heaven  forefend  that  at  such  a  moment  as  this  I 
should  tweak  ever  so  little  at  those  old  wigs ! 
On  the  contrary  I  would  rather  bear  witness  on 
this  occasion  that  in  Hamburg  the  government 
always  surpassed  the  governed  in  good  will 
toward  social  progress.  The  people  always  stood 
on  a  lower  level  than  their  representatives,  among 
whom  were  men  of  the  most  remarkable  culture 
and  wisdom.  But  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
great  conflagration  will  have  somewhat  enlight- 
ened the  baser  intellects  and  that  the  entire 
population  of  Hamburg  now  perceives  that  the 
spirit  of  the  age,  which  did  them  a  kindness  by 
means  of  their  misfortune,  must  not  hereafter 
be  insulted  by  a  wretched  shopman's  wisdom. 
More  especially,  equality  in  citizenship  for  men 
of  different  religious  views  *  can  certainly  not 
*  This  took  place  at  last  in  1849. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE  OF  HEIVRICH  HEINE.       85 

be  postponed  in  Hamburg  any  longer.  Let  us 
expect  the  best  from  the  future  ;  Heaven  does 
not  send  great  trials  for  nothing. 

XXVI 

PARIS,  June  23,  1842. 
DEAR,  KIND  SISTER: 

I  have  still  to  thank  you  for  your  dear,  dainty 
and  clever  letters. 

You  are  a  splendid  person  in  all  ways— you 
know  I  rarely  indulge  in  compliments — but  you, 
dear  Lotta,  deserve  a  whole  cargo  of  flattering 
words.  Write  often  to  me  ;  you  have  no  idea 
how  you  make  me  gay  and  refreshed.  You  write 
charmingly.  I  am  curious  whether  your  eldest 
daughter  follows  your  footsteps.  Has  she  by 
any  chance  the  gentleness  of  her  grandmother? 

My  wife  sends  her  regards.  She  will  please 
you  when  you  see  her.  A  thoroughly  honest, 
angelically  kind  creature,  generous  and  noble- 
minded  through  and  through,  but  full  of  moods 
and  uncontrolled  ;  at  times  tormenting  and  a 
scold — things  which  are  always  bearable,  how- 
ever, since  with  them  all  she  remains  very  pretty 
and  graceful. 


86         FAM1L  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Latterly  I  saw  young  Hollander,  who  carries 
back  greetings  to  you  ;  he  does  not  look  at  all 
changed  with  years. 

Regards  to  my  brother-in-law.  I  kiss  heartily 
the  little  puppets.  More  presently  ! 

I  am  trying  the  water  cure  now — whether  it 
will  help  me  God  only  knows  ! 

Your  true  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

XXVII 

PARIS,  August  10,  1842. 
DEAREST  LOTTA: 

I  am  about  to  journey  to  the  baths  and  to-day 
am  too  much  occupied  with  preparations  to 
write  you  a  long  letter,  as  I  would  like  to  do  and 
as  you  indeed  deserve.  Your  last  letter  was  so 
delightfully  kind  it  gave  me  great  pleasure. 
The  other  day  Armand  Heine*  was  here,  whom 
I  had  never  met  and  who  was  able  to  tell  me  a 
good  deal  about  Hamburg.  To  my  delight  he 
told  me  that  your  children  had  come  out  well, 

*  Armand  Heine,  died  1883,  a  nephew  of  the  poet,  founded 
with  his  brother  Michael  Heine  the  famous  bank  of  A.  &  M. 
Heine  in  Paris.  Michael's  daughter  Alice,  widow  of  the  Due  de 
Richelieu,  married  for  second  husband  the  Prince  of  Monaco. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          87 

and  that  your  eldest  daughter  Marie  had  be- 
come as  slender  and  clever  as  her  mother. 
She  might  put  her  pen  to  paper  some  day  and 
write  to  her  uncle. 

I  am  going  to  Boulogne-sur-Mer  with  my  wife ; 
you  can  write  me  there  paste  restante  if  you  wish 
to  please  me.  My  wife  is  pretty  well  at  present. 
We  often  talk  of  you  and  she  already  knows  a 
good  many  of  our  family  music  pieces.  Moreover 
this  winter  she  is  to  learn  German.  You  see  how 
I  educate  her  and  how  she  will  soon  become  an 
ornament  to  our  family.  For  some  time  now  she 
scolds  very  little  and  has  become  very  corpulent. 
In  other  respects  she  is  kindness  personified  and 
wins  all  hearts. 

Greet  your  husband  and  kiss  the  dear  children. 

And  now  farewell,  and  keep  in  affection 
Your  trusty  brother 

H.  HEINE. 

Mathilde  never  learned  German,  and  the  only 
sentence  which  stuck  to  her  memory  was  the 
standing  formula  when  a  German  came  on  a  visit : 
Guten  Tag,  tnein  Herr;  nehmen  sie  Platz  !  Then 
she  would  break  out  in  a  peal  of  laughter  and 


88         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

run  away,  leaving  the  visitor  alone  in  the  room, 
petrified  at  the  singular  reception,  until  he  was 
led  into  the  sick  chamber  of  the  poet. 


XXVIII 

PARIS,  November  28,  1842. 
DEAREST  SISTER  : 

Although  my  head  is  as  it  were  stunned  by 
hard  work,  I  hasten  to  send  you  my  congratula- 
tions. How  shall  I  express  the  pleasure  which 
almost  overwhelmed  me  at  the  coming  of  your 
letter?  I  and  my  dear  wife — who  takes  the  most 
perfect  interest  in  you — both  of  us  have  passed  a 
very  pleasurable  hour.  She  wishes  to  be  recom- 
mended most  warmly,  and  particularly  to  have 
you  thanked  for  the  portrait  which  we  received. 
She  was  beside  herself  with  joy  when  she  got  it 
and  since  then  it  is  on  parade  in  our  drawing 
room,  where  it  is  shown  to  everybody  and  is 
often  admired. 

Outwardly  and  intellectually  you  are  still  so 
young — and  already  you  are  marrying  off  a 
daughter  and  soon  will  be  a  grandmother !  And 
then  old  Gluck  will  be  a  great-grandmother! 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          89 

O  that  at  this  moment  I  had  poor  little  father 
with  me  !  How  he  would  have  rejoiced  !  That 
is  constantly  on  my  mind,  and  so,  happiness 
makes  me  sad  !  Allow  me  to  most  obediently 
commend  myself  to  the  bride  and  to  the  groom 
as  well.  I  thank  my  brother-in-law  most  heartily 
for  having  written  me  at  once  and  I  congratulate 
him  with  great  joy. 

If  I  could  only  be  with  you  for  a  few  days ! 
What  a  sorrow  !  It  is  however  impossible  just 
now.  The  news  that  Marie  will  come  to  Paris 
puts  ecstasy  into  my  deepest  soul.  She  will  be 
convinced  that  she  has  no  commonplace  uncle 
and  that  her  aunt  is  pretty  and  kind.  I  send 
greeting  to  mother  and  embrace  you  both.  As  I 
said,  I  am  much  overcome  by  many  labors.  I 
have  at  the  present  moment  a  lot  round  the  ears. 
Till  the  end  of  February  I  have  more  than 
enough  to  do,  affairs  of  the  most  important  kind, 
and  unfortunately  my  head  is  sick  and  often  I 
have  to  take  a  holiday  against  my  will. 

But  I  shall  get  through  and  then   I  shall  do 
something  permanent  for  my  headache. 
Your  faithful  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 


90         FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINR1CH  HEINE. 

The  poet  had  put  together  his  correspondence 
with  the  Allgemeine  Zeitung  in  the  miscellaneous 
writings  under  the  title  of  "  Lutetia "  and 
brought  them  out  in  book  form.*  It  is  a  histor- 
ical treatise  on  the  daily  happenings  in  Paris  dur- 
ing the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe,  the  period  of 
the  citizen  kingship,  in  which  politics,  fine  art 
and  social  life  are  described  in  a  piquant  and 
amusing  way.  Even  at  that  date  Heine  was  giv- 
ing warning  of  the  bold  rise  of  socialism  to  which 
the  future  would  belong,  unless  a  thorough  refor- 
mation should  be  made  in  existing  circumstances. 
"The  propaganda  of  communism  has  a  language 
that  every  people  understands.  The  elements  of 
this  universal  speech  are  as  simple  as  hunger  can 
be,  as  envy,  as  death  itself.  It  is  such  an  easy 
language  to  learn ;  it  will  resolve  itself  into  a 
world-wide  revolution — the  great  duel  of  those  who 
have  nothing  with  the  aristocracy  of  ownership." 

In  1843  Heine  published  in  Laube's  Zeitung 
fur  die  Elegante  Welt  a  new  humorous  epic 
called  the  "  Midsummer  Night's  Dream/'f  which 

*  See  vols.  ix.  and  x.  under  "Franzosiche  Zustande."  For  his 
remarks  on  Communism  see  vol.  x.  p.  no. — TR. 

f  For  "  Atta  Troll,  ein  Sommernachtstraum,"  see  vol.  ii.  pp. 
138-210.— TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          9* 

only  later,  in  1847,  on  its  appearance  in  book 
form,  obtained  from  the  public  a  general  under- 
standing and  recognition. 

XXIX 

Monsieur  Mr.   Henri  Heine, 
agent  de  change 

in  Hambourg. 

PARIS,  February  u,  1843. 
DEAR  UNCLE  : 

These  are  the  first  lines  I  have  written  for 
three  weeks.  For  the  weakness  in  my  eyes  had 
started  afresh  with  the  utmost  violence  and  it  is 
only  to-day  that  I  feel  myself  a  little  relieved.  I 
would  not  speak  to  you  of  my  own  sufferings, 
since  you  have  more  cause  for  sorrow  than  I,*  if 
I  did  not  have  to  state  the  reason  why  you  re- 
ceive a  letter  from  me  only  at  this  date.  The 
sorrowful  news  which  has  put  me  in  mourning  was 
reported  to  me  by  my  mother  ten  days  ago,  and 
I  can  assure  you  that  meantime  I  have  thought 

*This  is  a  letter  of  condolence  upon  the  death  of  the  elder 
Henry  Heine's  daughter  Matilda,  in  the  bloom  of  her  seventeen 
years.  Dr.  H.  Oswalt  of  Frankfort,  nephew  of  Henry  Heine, 
has  the  original. 


92          FAMIL  Y  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

often  of  you  and  not  without  tears.  Heaven 
keep  you  and  pour  balm  on  your  loving  heart. 
My  wife,  who  offers  you  the  most  sorrowful  sym- 
pathy, begs  to  be  remembered. 

I  pray  you  assure  Aunt  Jette  that  at  a  distance 
I  felt  her  sorrows  as  my  own.  Remember  me  to 
Emily  and  Hermann,  who  was  always  a  good 
boy. 

I  can  never  tell  you,  dear  uncle,  how  crushed 
my  heart  is  to  think  that  when  such  mournful 
events  happen  I  cannot  even  come  to  Hamburg  ! 

But   since   I   have   been    married    I  am   not   so 

• 

movable  as  formerly.  I  cannot  leave  my  wife 
here  [in  Paris]  alone,  and  it  costs  too  much  money 
and  trouble  to  take  her  with  me.  For  the  rest  I 
pass  here  a  happy  domestic  life,  enjoy  the  most 
valuable  quiet  of  spirits,  and  need  nothing  but  re- 
lease from  my  eye  trouble  and  the  vile  headaches 
in  which  that  trouble  has  its  real  root.  Latterly 
I  have  had  a  seton  put  in  the  back  of  my  neck 
and  hope  to  obtain  some  soothing  of  the  pain. 
Inside  me,  as  I  say,  I  am  thoroughly  well  and  eat 
as  much  as  six  Frenchmen — yes,  almost  as  much 
as  three  Hamburgers. 

And   now,  my  dear  uncle,  farewell ;   happier 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.          93 

hours    will    be     sure    to     return.     I    love    you 
much. 

Your  obedient  nephew, 

H.  HEINE. 

XXX 

PARIS,  February  21,  1843. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

My  dawdling  in  writing  you  must  pardon. 
Unfortunately  my  eye  troubles  were  to  blame 
for  my  not  writing  for  some  time.  I  have  been 
able  to  see  at  all  only  for  the  last  ten  days. 
This  temporary  burden  has  worried  me  on  this 
occasion  very  much,  because  it  was  accompanied 
by  a  weakening  of  the  face  muscles  on  the  right 
side  (from  the  crown  of  the  head  to  the  chin). 
Still  my  eye  trouble  seems  to  have  been  only  a 
passing  ill  which  at  certain  times  is  likely  to 
make  its  appearance  and  disappear  just  as  regu- 
larly; the  facial  paralysis  (which,  thank  God,  is 
not  visible)  remaining  behind  will  take  somewhat 
longer  to  drive  off.  For  that  purpose  I  have 
had  a  seton  placed  in  the  back  of  the  neck. 
Otherwise  I  am  healthy  from  my  heart  outward ; 
indeed  I  am  in  better  case  than  ever  before. 


94         FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

My  trouble  interferes  with  my  work  a  great  deal, 
because  I  am  sparing  myself  in  an  extraordinary 
fashion.  I  have  a  good  constitution  of  body  and 
hope  to  skip  about  in  this  world  for  a  long  time 
to  come. 

But  that  you,  dear  mother,  have  been  ill  wor- 
ries me  not  seldom ;  write  to  me  soon  and  at 
length.  Hearty  and  many  greetings  to  Lotta  ! 
I  think  of  her  very  often.  Mme.  Hollander 
said  delightful  things  to  me  about  my  niece 
Marie.  How  young  Mrs.  Hollander  remains, 
and,  in  spite  of  her  twenty  years  in  Hamburg, 
has  not  lost  in  the  slightest  degree  her  French 
charm !  I  saw  her  yesterday  at  a  ball  at  her 
father's,  old  Worms,  whither  I  went,  be  it  said  in 
parenthesis,  only  on  account  of  my  wife.  She 
so  loves  to  dance,  and  she  deserves  that  I  should 
sacrifice  myself  for  her  now  and  then  !  More- 
over in  these  later  years  she  has  taken  ex- 
cellent care  of  me  and  on  this  side  I  am  a  happy 
man. 

You  ask  me  about  "  Atta  Troll  ";  he  may  have 
received  a  little  warm  color  from  a  Jewish 
Emancipationist — but  between  ourselves  I  only 
had  in  mind  a  satire  on  the  ideas  of  liberalism 


FAMIL  y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          95 

entertained  by  mankind.     You  see  that  I  answer 
your  questioning. 

And  now,  dear  mother,  farewell,  and  write 
much  to  me  and  often. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

XXXI 

PARIS,  March  22,  1843. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  : 

If  you  weigh  my  every  word  on  goldsmith's 
balances  I  cannot  write  to  you  any  more  with 
the  unconsciousness  and  easy  hurry  I  have 
hitherto  employed.  It  should  rather  be  a 
reason  for  quiet  to  your  mind  that  I  do  report 
everything  to  you,  even  a  fit  of  bad  temper  that 
lias  no  cause. 

When  I  wrote  you  last,  two  corpses  lay  in  my 
house  ;  two  neighbors  had  died  of  typhus  fever, 
one  of  them  a  young  man  of  thirty-one,  who 
left  his  wife  and  children  helpless.  My  wife  lay 
sick  and  the  weather  was  very  cold.  Under  such 
circumstances  one  does  not  write  joyous  letters. 
To-day  it  is  wondrous  fine ;  for  the  last  eight 
days  we've  been  getting  weather  like  spring; 


96          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

I  feel  myself  uncommonly  inspirited  and  well; 
moreover  I  am  able  to  write  once  more.  My 
wife  is  restored  to  health  too,  and,  thank  God, 
scolds  away  in  full  possession  of  health.  I  hope 
now  that  you  also  are  entirely  on  your  legs  again. 
Farewell,  and  remember  me  to  dear  Lotta  and 
the  children. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

XXXII 

PARIS,  April  8,  1843. 
DEAREST  SISTER: 

Mother  wrote  me  the  other  day  that  the 
wedding  takes  place  the  eighth  of  this  month. 
That's  to-day;  and  I  am  steadily  thinking  about 
you  all.  I  wait  impatiently  for  news  from  you, 
whether  everything  went  off  nicely.  You  must 
have  your  hands  full  to-day.  Since  the  ever-to- 
be-remembered  day  at  the  Zollenspiker*  you 
have  had  no  such  important  day.  I  congratu- 
late you  and  embrace  you  from  my  heart ;  I  beg 
also  that  you  will  assure  the  young  couple  of  my 

*  Place  at  Vierlanden  near  Hamburg  where  marriages  are  cele- 
brated. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          97 

most  profound  sympathy  and  love.  The  jolliest 
congratulations  to  your  husband  and  many 
friendly  remembrances.  Kiss  mother  for  me, 
old  Gluck  and  your  chicks.  My  wife  sends 
you  the  happiest  and  most  loving  messages.  I 
hope  that  you  are  in  good  health. 

We  are  getting  on  well,  except  that  my  poor 
head  is  no  better.  ***** 

H.  HEINE. 

XXXIII 

PARIS,  May  23,  1843. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  : 

I  received  your  letter  of  the  ninth  of  May  all 
right  and  saw  therein  that  you  were  well.  Your 
letter  of  the  same  date  last  year  was  less  de- 
lightful !  »•- 

I  can  never  forget  the  terror  of  that  conflagra- 
tion. And  I  also  never  forget  how  great  my 
dear  sister's  behavior  was  on  that  occasion! 
What  a  heroine  !  Wellington  *  is  a  dishrag  to  her  ! 

I  send  my  hearty  greeting  to  Lotta,  and 
thank  her  for  her  latest  report  on  the  marriage 
of  my  niece.  She  must  have  received  my  con- 
gratulations at  the  same  time.  But  now  I 

*  For  Heine's  estimate  of  the  English  military  idol  see  vol.  vi, 
p.  291.— TR. 


98          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE, 

would  like  to  know  how  matters  stand  with  the 
young  couple.  May  the  honeymoon  never  con- 
trast too  sharply  with  the  months  that  come 
after ! 

Nothing  has  changed  in  my  case  in  wedlock  ; 
on  the  contrary,  each  year  my  wife  gets  more 
sensible  and  docile,  and  I  have  not  yet  regretted 
my  marriage.  That's  a  good  deal  to  say  in  the 
present  generation  and  in  Paris,  where  bad  mar- 
riages swarm ;  good  ones  are  so  rare  that  they 
ought  to  be  preserved  in  alcohol. 

My  head  trouble  is  always  the  same  thing.  I 
don't  know  yet  what  kind  of  a  cure  I  shall  try 
this  summer;  traveling  expenses  are  too  great, 
since  I  have  to  take  my  wife  with  me  ;  can't  leave 
her  in  Paris  alone.  Anyhow  I  shan't  travel  at 
all.  Perhaps  I'll  take  a  house  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Paris  where  there  is  some  country  air,  if 
it  can  be  cheaply  put  in  order. 

You  have  no  conception  how  very  often  I  think 
of  you.  Only  write  me  often  and  much,  how  you 
feel,  how  things  are  with  you. 

As  soon  as  you  get  a  letter  from  Max  let  me 
know.  I  would  like  to  know  whether  he  received 
the  letter  which  I  sent  him  lately  by  way  of  Riga 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.          99 

to   a   friend   who   agreed   to    forward  it   to   his 
address  at  St.  Petersburg,  which  I  did  not  know. 
And  now  farewell  ;    kiss  Lotta  and  the  dear 
children  for  me. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

XXXIV 

PARIS,  June  18,  1843. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

Your  welcome  letter  of  the  5th  instant  I  re- 
ceived last  week  all  right  together  with  the  in- 
closures,  and  I  thank  you  for  the  evidences  of 
your  warm  motherly  love  which  assert  themselves 
on  this  as  on  all  other  occasions. 

Since  there  are  so  many  wretches  in  the  world  ; 
since  I  am  always  very  ungratefully  treated  for 
the  many  good  acts  I  do  ;  since  in  general  many 
a  thing  to  put  me  out  of  sorts  weighs  upon  me, 
it  is  certainly  a  great  comfort  for  me  to  have  so 
nice  a  mother  as  you  are,  and  on  that  account 
alone  your  loving  care  for  me  is  even  now  of  the 
greatest  value. 

I  don't  know  yet  to  whom  I  can  give  the 
papers  to  keep.  I  think  it  is  best  if  I  keep  them 


100       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

myself.  For  I  am  sound  and  well  from  my  in- 
most heart,  and  my  headaches  are  of  the  kind 
that  lets  one  become  old  and  gray.  In  any  case 
I  live  so  moderately  that  my  health  will  rather 
improve  than  worsen.  Therefore  quiet  yourself. 
I  hope  that  you  too,  dear  mother,  are  in  good 
health.  Do  write  to  me  on  this  point  how  you 
are  getting  on.  May  Heaven  keep  us  all !  Write 
me  how  everything  is  where  you  are. 

As  I  do  not  read  Der  Telegraph*  don't  forget 
to  keep  your  eye  on  it  for  me.  Uncle  has  sent 
me  his  likeness  with  a  loving  letter  ;  the  portrait  f 
is  wonderfully  like.  Carl  also  wrote  me  very 
warmly,  so  that  I  am  now,  thank  God,  in  the  best 
of  understanding  with  the  family.  I  think  Max 
would  do  better  if  he  sent  his  letters  for  me 

*  Der  Telegraph,  a  newspaper  edited  by  Carl  Gutzkow,  one  of 
Heine's  chief  enemies. 

f  A  lithographic  likeness  of  Salomon  Heine  by  Otto  Spekter  in 
Hamburg. 

Salomon  Heine  was  born  October  19,  1767,  died  December  23, 
1844,  married  to  Betty  Goldschmidt  (born  1777,  died  1837).  Their 
six  children  and  sons-in-law  are  all  dead  :  Friederike,  married  to 
Moritz  Oppenheimer.  Fanny,  married  to  SchrSder,  M.  D. 
Hermann,  born  1804,  died  unmarried  at  Rome  in  1830.  Amalie, 
married  John  Friedlander.  Carl,  born  1810,  died  1865,  married 
to  Cecilie  Furtado  in  Paris.  Therese,  died  1880  in  Ottensen, 
married  to  Dr.  Adolf  Halle. 


FA  MIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICff  HEINE.        1OI 

through  you  at  Hamburg ;  I  believe  the  post 
direct  this  way  from  St.  Petersburg  is  not  very 
sure. 

Write  me  how  matters  stand  with  Lotta  and 
the  young  bridal  couple.  I  think  of  staying  in 
Paris  till  the  fourth  of  next  month  and  then  going 
for  six  weeks  or  two  months  to  a  seaside  resort, 
perhaps  to  Boulogne  again.  The  quiet,  sea  air 
and  also  the  baths  there  will  be  wholesome  for  me. 

It  looks  very  badly  for  my  literary  work  in 
German  because  of  the  botherations  by  the  cen- 
sorship.    If  you  write  at  once  I  shall  catch  your 
letter  here  in  Paris.     My  wife  sends  you  a  kiss. 
Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

XXXV 

TROUVILLE,  August  5,  1843. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

During  three  weeks  I  dragged  myself  about 
with  an  utter  irresolution  as  to  whither  I 
should  go.  Finally  I  came  here,  where  I  have 
been  for  eight  days,  just  as  irresolute  whether  to 
stay  or  not.  That  is  the  reason  I  did  not  write 
to  you  earlier.  But  now  that  I  am  determined 


i02       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRlCH  HEINE. 

to  hold  on  here  a  good  while,  I  report  my  good 
health  to  you  and  beg  that  you  will  inform  me 
as  to  yours  as  soon  as  possible.  My  address  is 
H.  Heine  a  Trotiville,  de'partement  Calvados  en 
France.  Write  me  very  soon  how  you  are  all 
getting  on.  I  and  my  dear  wife  are  well, 
and  this  year  the  sea  baths  agree  with  me 
very  well.  Constantly  we  speak  of  you ; 
and  you  cannot  conceive  how  eagerly  my  wife 
desires  to  see  you,  for  I  often  tell  her  how 
much  love  you  have  always  shown  me  and  how 
there  are  few  mothers  like  you  in  the  world. 

Unhappily  my  eyes  are  very  weak,  as  always  in 
summer.  Kiss  Lotta  and  the  chicks.  Good-by, 
old  Gluck  ! 

Your  most  profoundly  affectionate  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

I  beg  you  not  to  frank  your  letters. 


XXXVI 

PARIS,  September  18,  1843. 
DEAR  KIND,  DEAR  MOTHER  : 

Your    letter    of    August    18    which    you    ad- 
dressed to    Trouville  was   duly   forwarded,  and 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        103 

since  then  I  have  also  received  your  letter  of  Sep- 
tember 2.  With  deep  sorrow  I  perceive  from 
the  latter  that  Uncle  Heine's  health  looks  badly ; 
I  pray  you  always  write  me  exactly  and  exhaust- 
ively how  he  gets  on.  In  this  respect  I  am,  if 
not  entirely  at  rest,  still  possessed  of  the  firm  be- 
lief that  the  health  of  this  dear  man  has  an  iron 
foundation,  which  perhaps  might  be  slowly  worn 
away  by  constant  shocks,  but  will  last  for  a  long 
time  to  come  for  the  happiness  of  all.  Except 
for  excess  at  meals,  uncle  has  never  broken  a  rule 
of  good  health,  and  the  genuine  life  springs  have 
only  been  attacked  now  and  then  by  sorrow — God 
preserve  him ! 

And  you,  sweet  old  cat,  how  are  you  getting  on  ? 
If  you  die  before  I  can  see  you  again  I  shall  put 
a  bullet  through  my  head.  Mark  that  against 
the  chance  that  any  suggestion  should  assail 
you  to  exchange  your  house  on  the  Dammthor 
for  a  less  excellent  lodging.  Mark  that,  will 
you  ?  and  then  you  will  not  commit  any  such 
folly  ! 

I  spoke  to  a  friend  of  Max  yesterday,  Gretsch 
from  Petersburg,  who  knows  you  too  and  spoke 
of  you  with  so  much  reverence  and  respectful 


104       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

affection  that  I  roamed  about  all  day  very  melan- 
choly and  with  my  heart  cooked  soft. 

If  it  were  possible  (but  at  the  present  moment 
it  is  almost  impossible)  I  would  visit  you  this 
year;  but  in  any  case  it  shall  be  next  year. 
Greet  Lotta  and  the  children. 

As  I  hear,  X.*  is  to  be  in  Paris.  What  happi- 
ness for  Paris — a  reparation  for  the  failure  of  the 
Queen  of  England  to  come  here  ! 

Farewell.     In  fine,  stay  alive  as  long  as  possible 
and  take  you  note  of  what  I  have  said. 
Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

XXXVII 

PARIS,  September  21,  1843. 
DEAREST  SISTER  : 

You  will  receive  these  lines  by  the  hand  of 
Mile.  A.  de  C.,  a  young  person  who  is  as  remark- 
able for  character  as  she  is  black  of  complexion. 
She  is  of  African  race,  but  educated  in  Paris  from 
her  tenderest  infancy,  and  in  truth  in  the  same 
boarding  school  where  my  wife  passed  several 

*  A  frequenter  of  his  uncle  Salomon's  table,  whose  overweening 
conceit  often  roused  Heine's  ridicul 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        105 

years.  She  is  the  latter's  most  intimate  friend 
and  you  may  judge  from  that  if  I  know  her  well 
and  if  I  can  recommend  her  to  you  with  as  good 
a  conscience  as  hearty  warmth. 

Her  father  is  a  rich  merchant  from  St. 
Thomas ;  latterly  he  married  a  rich  Hamburg 
woman  and  is  now  in  that  city ;  in  order  to 
arrange  delicate  affairs  with  him  Mile,  de  C. 
goes  to  Hamburg  in  company  with  her  brother, 
a  young  man  as  black  as  he  is  good. 

Receive  them  with  kindness  for  our  sakes: 
your  sister-in-law  also  begs  you  to  do  so.  If  you 
can  assist  them  in  any  way  with  good  counsel 
and  help,  you  will  be  sure  to  do  it.  The  point  is 
to  bring  a  pressure  to  bear  on  her  father;  she 
will  not  wish  to  acknowledge  this  at  once,  be- 
cause she  is  of  an  uncommonly  high-spirited 
nature ;  but  the  young  man  will  soon  instruct 
you  as  to  their  circumstances.  I  have  also  re- 
commended her  to  Cecilie  Heine. 

I  get  no  letter  from  you  and  we  are  therefore 
living  in  the  greatest  anxiety.  Greet  your  hus- 
band and  kiss  the  children  for  me. 

I  embrace  you  heartily. 

Your  faithful  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 


106       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

You  are  so  quick  and  have  such  a  kind  heart 
that  I  do  not  doubt  you  will  be  of  the  happiest 
usefulness  to  our  young  friend. 


XXXVIII 

PARIS,  October  18,  1843. 
DEAR,  KIND,  PRECIOUS  MOTHER: 

I  got  your  last  letter  all  right,  and  your  idea 
to  appoint  a  rendezvous  with  Max  in  Ham- 
burg in  spring  has  roused  powerfully  in  me  the 
desire  to  see  you  again.  But  I  want  to  see 
you  sooner  than  spring — this  very  year  in  fact 
— and  before  you  know  where  you  are  I  shall 
be  standing  before  you  as  large  as  life  ! 

But  that  is  a  great,  big  secret  and  you  must 
not  tell  a  soul  a  word  of  it ;  for  I  am  not  travel- 
ing by  water,  but  straight  through  Germany; 
and  as  I  speak  of  it  to  no  one  here  and  more- 
over shall  journey  quickly,  there  is  nothing  to 
fear  from  the  government.  But  as  I  said,  not  a 
word  of  this  to  a  soul !  I  shall  write  to  Uncle 
Heine,  but  only  the  day  before  I  leave — not 
earlier  than  that,  for  weighty  reasons. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        107 

If  Lotta  can  keep  silent,  you  may  let  her  know 
about  it.  I  leave  my  wife  here  in  Paris  at  the 
boarding  school  where  she  was  formerly.  As  I 
do  not  know  when  I  shall  get  off,  do  not  write  to 
me  at  this  address. 
Next  week  more  from 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

XXXIX 

PARIS,  October  21,  1843. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER: 

I  hope  to  find  you  in  the  best  of  health,  and 
to-day  shall  write  you  but  little,  since  I  shall  see 
you  ten  or  fourteen  days  hence  and  then  can 
tell  you  everything  possible  that  is  loving  and 
warm.  I  am  on  the  point  of  starting,  first  to 
Brussels,  whence  I  shall  probably  go  to  Amster- 
dam, and  thence  by  way  of  Bremen  to  Hamburg, 
where  I  look  with  certainty  for  the  best  of  wel- 
comes from  you.  I  have  made  up  my  mind 
quickly  to  this  journey;  things  of  the  kind 
must  not  be  postponed.  That  were  as  unwise 
as  painful ! 

And   so   I  am   soon   to  see  you    again,   dear 


Io8       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

mother.     Don't   be  frightened  at  my    changed 
appearance.     I  will  write  you  again  on  the  way. 
Kiss  Lotta  and  the  children — but  I  shall  soon 
kiss  you  all  with  my  own  lips  ! 

H.  HEINE. 

XL 

BREMEN,  October  28,  1843. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

You  see  my  journey  is  half  finished.  I  arrived 
here  an  hour  ago  sound  and  well,  but  very  tired. 
How  I  am  to  go  forward  to  Hamburg  I  do  not 
know  yet,  since  I  do  not  wish  to  travel  through 
a  night  again  and  the  post  coach  only  leaves 
this  evening.  So  perhaps  I  shall  only  get  to  you 
early  day  after  to-morrow,  or  if  possible  to-mor- 
row evening  very  late. 

Kiss  Lotta  and  the  children,  whom  I  shall  kiss 
myself  day  after  to-morrow. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

During  his  journeyings  about  Germany  it  was 
necessary  for  Heine  to  take  the  greatest  precau- 
tions, because  the  poet  was  forbidden  to  enter 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        109 

the  Prussian  states  *  and  at  the  frontiers  the 
most  particular  orders  of  arrest  lay  in  waiting  for 
him  and  were  renewed  every  year. 

After  an  absence  of  twelve  years  Heine  was 
driven  to  Hamburg  by  the  yearning  to  see  his 
native  land  once  more  and  to  embrace  his 
mother  and  sister.  He  passed  his  six  weeks  of 
stay  almost  exclusively  within  the  narrowest 
family  circle  of  his  dear  ones,  and  was  hardly 
accessible  at  all  for  the  greater  number  of  his 
acquaintances  there.  Besides,  he  made  use  of 
his  presence  in  Hamburg  to  conclude  a  contract 
with  his  publisher  Julius  Campe  for  the  issue  of 
his  complete  works  ;  and  he  exacted  a  royalty 
on  a  yearly  ascending  scale  up  to  the  sum  of 
eighteen  hundred  marks  (about  seven  hundred 
dollars),  which  was  to  pass  to  his  wife  for  her  life 
after  his  death.  Anxiety  for  Mathilde's  future 
caused  him  to  close  the  bargain  with  a  cer- 
tain precipitation,  and  afterward  he  often  rued 
the  day  when  he  was  so  docile  with  his  pub- 
lisher. 

*  The  reader  will  remember  how  singularly  intermixed  at  that 
period  were  the  various  states  in  Germany ;  Prussia  especially 
held  outlying  portions  of  Germany  hard  to  evade  on  a  direct 
route.— TR. 


HO       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Heine  began  the  return  trip  in  December,  and 
promised  to  repeat  his  visit  for  a  longer  stay 
next  year,  in  company  with  Mathilde,  concerning 
whom  he  could  not  say  enough  in  praise. 
Owing  to  the  setting  in  of  frost  he  had  to  run 
the  risk  of  journeying  by  land,  and  it  is  touching 
how  at  each  stop  Heine  caused  word  to  be  sent 
to  his  mother,  who  was  in  the  greatest  terror  on 
his  account. 

XLI 

HANOVER,  December  9,  1843. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER: 

Yesterday  I  arrived  here  sound  and  well.  I 
shall  stay  a  few  days  on  the  score  of  business  ;  I 
have  nothing  to  fear.  The  weather  is  wonderful 
and  just  this  may  perhaps  induce  me  to  remain 
for  a  special  purpose  here  a  few  days.  I  am 
happy  and  gay  of  mood  and  hope  that  now  you 
too  are  not  sad. 

Kiss  and  greet  Lotta  and  her  children.  In 
about  ten  days  I  shall  be  in  Paris  and  will  write 
you  at  once. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 


FA  MIL  Y  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        1 1 1 

XLII 

COLOGNE,  December  14,  1843. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER: 

As  you  see,  I  did  not  stay  in  Hanover  as  long 
as  I  purposed.  Now  I'm  in  Cologne  and  in- 
tend to  stay  one  day.  Day  after  to-morrow  I 
shall  go  to  Brussels  by  railway,  an  easy  day's 
journey,  and  thence  it  is  but  a  leap  to  Paris.  So 
the  journey  is  as  good  as  done  with  and  now  you 
can  sleep  quietly.  At  this  moment  I  am  very 
tired  from  the  journey  by  night ;  otherwise  jolly 
and  quite  well.  The  weather  was  most  fine  and 
in  this  respect  Heaven  particularly  favored  me. 

And  now  farewell ;  I  shall  not  write  for  eight 
days.  Greet  Lotta  and  kiss  the  children  for  me. 
Also  greet  heartily  my  brother-in-law  and 
nephew.  Weary  and  in  haste, 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

XLIII 

BRUSSELS,  December  18,  1843. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  : 

I  have  just  reached  here  sound  and  well. 
Early  to-morrow  morning  I  shall  travel  toward 


112        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H  El N RICH  HEINE. 

Paris,  where  I  shall  be  day  after  to-morrow  early. 
So  I  am  as  it  were  at  home  and  this  letter  may 
serve  now  as  an  announcement  to  that  effect.  So 
be  at  rest  and  let  me  be  quiet.  Shall  not  be  able  to 
write  you  again  for  six  or  eight  days,  because  as 
soon  as  I  get  to  Paris  I  shall  be  overwhelmed  by 
such  a  deluge  of  business  that  I  can  hardly  hope 
to  get  to  writing  very  soon. 

So  far  I  have  had  wondrous  fine  weather. 
Greet  Lotta,  my  dear  sister  and  her  children. 
All  my  thoughts  on  the  journey  traveled  from 
you  to  my  wife  and  from  my  wife  back  to  you. 
May  I  again  find  you  all  well  and  happy  next 
year — that  is  my  only  care. 

My  pen  won't  work,  but  I  am  ever 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

XLIV 

PARIS,  January  23,  1844. 
DEAR,  KIND  SISTER  : 

Mother  announced  the  fortunate  delivery  of 
your  daughter  about  a  fortnight  ago,  but  since 
then  I  have  been  without  news  of  her  condition, 
which  is  the  main  point,  and  for  that  I  have  to 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        1 13 

complain  of  your  neglect.  I  hope  that  Marie  is 
in  good  health  and  that  I  shall  get  news  from 
you  pretty  soon  that  will  put  my  mind  at  rest. 

I  and  my  wife  are  in  a  fair  state  of  health  and 
constantly  talk  about  you.  I  cannot  tell  her 
enough  what  a  splendid  sister  you  are,  and  the 
love  with  which  I  speak  of  you  almost  makes 
her  jealous.  We  live  quiet  and  retired. 
•*  •  *  *  *  * 

My  plans  for  this  summer  are  still  the  same, 
and  I  shall  write  to  you  about  them  in  good 
time.  Write  to  me  much  and  circumstantially, 
so  that  I  can  form  an  exact  estimate  of  local 
matters  with  you.  But  especially  let  me  always 
know  the  exact  news  concerning  the  state  of 
uncle's  health.  I  hope  that  you  are  feeling  well 
and  do  not  tax  yourself  too  much.  Mother  com- 
plains a  little  of  her  state  of  health ;  I  trust  it  is 
nothing. 

Despite  my  increasing  paralysis  of  the  face,  I 
work  a  good  deal.  But  perhaps  some  day  I  may 
have  to  pitch  my  pen  to  the  devil  and  be  con- 
demned to  do  nothing  at  all ! 

My  wife  is  conducting  herself  pretty  well ;  does 
not  scold  too  often,  but  always  remains  a  spend- 


114       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

thrift.  I  get  through  with  difficulty  and  trouble, 
but  I  do  get  through,  and  the  cares  vanish.  If 
I  only  could  see  you  now  and  then,  sweet  angel, 
just  to  look  at  you  without  saying  a  word  ! 

Farewell,  and  greet  the  whole  gossipred  from 
me — the  cock  of  the  house  and  the  chicks. 
Your  discursive  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

XLV 

PARIS,  February  20,  1844. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  : 

In  the  letter  I  wrote  Lotta  there  was  nothing 
at  all,  and  I  do  not  know  why  Lotta  did  not 
want  to  let  you  see  it. 

I  can't  write  you  much  to-day  and  perhaps  not 
in  the  first  four  weeks  either,  for  my  eye  trouble 
has  come  back  again  and  meantime  I  must 
spare  my  eyes  very  much.  The  physician  tells 
me  that  this  time  I  must  wait  longer  than  ever 
until  the  crisis  is  passed  and  I  can  use  my  eyes 
again  as  before.  I  greet  Lotta  and  the  children. 
Write  soon  to  your 

Faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        1 15 

XLVI 

PARIS,  March  4,  1844. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

You  must  always  believe  my  word,  for  I  always 
tell  you  everything.  Your  letter  came  just  now 
and  from  it  I  see  that  you  are  fabricating  for 
yourself  needless  ideas  and  cares.  My  eyes,  or 
rather  the  eye  from  which  I  suffered,  has  been 
healed  ;  but  I  have  to  spare  myself,  and  so  I 
write  to  no  one,  read  nothing  and  take  care  of 
myself.  I  hope  in  a  few  days  I  shall  be  entirely 
on  my  feet  again.  I  yearn  to  see  you  all  again. 
That  shall  take  place  this  summer  in  any  case, 
even  though  I  go  again  to  Hamburg  for  a  short 
time  and  leave  my  wife  behind  again. 

*  •*  *  •*  * 

H.  HEINE. 

XLVII 

PARIS,  July  n,  1844. 
DEAR,  KIND  SISTER  :     . 

Yesterday  I  wrote  to  dear  mother  and  an- 
nounced that  I  should  make  the  journey  to 
Hamburg  per  land,  and  in  truth  by  way  of  Ant- 


Il6       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H BIN  RICH  HEINE. 

werp.  So  now  she  will  not  tremble  at  every  puff 
of  wind. 

But  to  you,  dear  Lotta,  I  will  tell  the  truth, 
namely  :  that  next  week,  the  twentieth  of  July,  I 
shall  leave  Havre  for  Hamburg  on  the  steamer 
and  therefore  get  to  you  on  the  22d  or  23d. 
Mother  need  know  nothing  until  I  have  arrived 
sound  and  well  with  my  better  half. 

It  is  the  finest  season  for  journey  by  sea  and 
apart  from  seasickness  there  is  nothing  at  all  to 
worry  over.  Now  however,  dear  Lotta,  comes 
the  question  of  lodging,  and  on  this  point  I  shall 
tell  you  to-day  most  particularly  what  is  to  be 
done. 

This  year  I  did  not  go  to  the  seaside  and  my 
nerves  are  in  such  an  irritated  state  that  I  shall 
certainly  fall  sick,  if  I  do  not  fill  my  lungs  with 
fresh  air  for  a  time  in  the  country  or  with  sea 
air  on  the  coast,  and  that  too  in  the  greatest 
quiet  of  soul.  So  if  you,  dear  Lotta,  could  find 
a  country  dwelling  for  me  near  the  Dammthor 
where  I  can  pass  August,  September  and  Oc- 
tober, I  should  be  greatly  accommodated.  But 
if  that  is  not  possible,  I  shall  stay  at  first  only  a 
few  days  in  Hamburg  and  then  go  at  once  with 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        117 

my  wife  to  Helgoland  in  order  to  breathe  in  sea 
air  for  a  few  weeks  and,  in  case  they  do  not  dis- 
agree with  me,  to  take  baths  also.  I  am  in  such 
great  need  of  this  ! 

As  soon  as  I  arrive  in  Hamburg  I  shall  drive 
to  Hillert's  again,  although  I  foresee  that  his 
newly  built  Stadt  London  will  not  be  good  for 
me  who  have  a  horror  of  all  new  constructions. 
But  I  shall  stay  there  only  a  few  days  and  then 
go  to  the  country,  if  I  get  a  country  abode,  or  to 
Helgoland  if  I  get  none.  If  I  go  to  Helgoland 
you  can  look  up  meantime  a  house  for  me  in 
town  in  your  neighborhood  which  I  can  move 
into  at  once  on  my  return. 

In  case  it  does  not  put  you  out  (but  only  in 
this  case)  it  would  be  agreeable  to  me  if  you 
could  shelter  my  wife  for  the  few  days  I  shall  pass 
at  Hillert's,  not  because  I  want  to  save  money, 
but  because  it  seems  to  me  more  respectable  for 
my  wife  not  to  go  to  a  hotel.  In  any  case  I  shall 
write  you  again  on  this  point. 

How  would  it  be  if  you  gave  yourself  a  little 
pleasure  and  accompanied  us  to  Helgoland  ? 
That  would  be  the  most  pleasing  so  far  as 
I  am  concerned.  Could  you  possibly  do  that  ? 


Ii8       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

In  any   case   it   would    be   very   good   for  your 

health. 

***** 

As  I  shall  stay  there  only  till  the  middle  or,  at 
farthest,  the  end  of  November,  I  shall  bring  noth- 
ing with  me  for  housekeeping  and  so  must  hire 
the  country  house  or  later  the  town  house 
entirely  furnished  and  supplied  with  all  necessary 
utensils.  But  the  equipment  need  not  be  com- 
plete, since  I  am  quite  indifferent  whether  or  »ot 
I  buy  there  all  kinds  of  things  and  furnishings 
which  I  can  always  use  there  later,  or  perhaps 
even  take  away  with  me.  I  need  two  bed- 
chambers with  one  bed  each,  one  living  room, 
one  workroom  and  a  little  room  for  a  maid. 
***** 

H.  HEINE. 

XLVIII 

PARIS,  July  13,  1844. 
MY  DEAR  LOTTA  : 

I  am  up  to  the  neck  in  preparations  for  the 
journey,  and,  as  I  wrote  you,  am  departing  about 
this  time  from  Paris  and  shall  be  next  Saturday 
morning  early  on  the  Hamburg  steamer  with  my 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        119 

wife.  In  regard  to  the  letter  which  I  wrote  you 
day  before  yesterday,  I  remark  further  that  after 
a  careful  consultation  with  my  physician,  I  shall 
in  any  case  go  to  the  sea  baths  at  Helgoland, 
and  so  for  the  present  shall  pass  but  a  few  days 
in  Hamburg.  So  I  now  see  that  I  shall  only 
need  a  dwelling  in  Hamburg  after  I  return 
thither  from  Helgoland,  and  therefore  you  need 
trouble  yourself  only  for  such  a  house  and  not 
for  a  country  place.  In  any  case,  in  respect  of 
this  town  house  also,  you  must  not  hire  it  until  I 
have  seen  it ;  I  shall  be  there  so  soon.  I  would 
like  best  the  Esplanade,  but  your  Theater  Strasse 
somewhat  near  the  Jungfernstieg  would  be  just 
as  good. 

Perhaps  I  shall  write  to  mother  again  before  I 
leave,  but  not  to  tell  her  that  I  go  by  water ;  I 
shall  only  say  that  she  may  expect  me  between 
the  23rd  and  the  25th,  so  that  she  may  not  get 
a  scare. 

My  wife  and  I  are  in  thoughts  already  in  Ham- 
burg, and  we  speak  of  you  constantly.  How  I  re- 
joice to  think  of  seeing  you  and  the  children  again  ! 

The  weather  is  nice  and  friendly  and  cool ;  I 
am  traveling  in  the  finest  season.  I  pray  you 


120       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

make  it  possible  that  you  and  Marie  can  go  with 
us  to  Helgoland.  The  cost  of  everything  is  very 
small  and  the  air  is  so  delicious  and  healing. 

To-day  Furtado  leaves  here  for  Hamburg  in 
order  to  take  up  Cacilie  *  there  and  go  with  her 
to  the  baths  of  Leuk  in  Switzerland. 

Greet  your  husband  for  me  and  kiss  the 
children  for  me  on  account. 

How  I  shall   rejoice   to  see  you  and   my  old 

mother  again ! 

Your  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

On  a  splendid  sunshiny  afternoon  the  Havre 
steamer  came  into  this  port  a  little  late,  and  we 
were  all  hanging  about  the  bridge  for  a  long 
while  in  the  utmost  excitement  over  the  expec- 
tation of  learning  to  know  Mathilde,  Heine's 
wife.  At  last  the  ship  approached  and  my  uncle 

*  Cacilie  Furtado,  wife  of  Carl  Heine  and  settled  in  Paris, 
known  for  her  wealth  and  the  many  beneficent  foundations  she 
made  in  France.  Her  husband  Carl  Heine,  born  January  2O, 
1810,  died  at  Bagneres  de  Luchon,  July  4,  1865,  having  been 
struck  by  apoplexy  while  out  walking;  he  was  buried  in  Paris. 
The  marriage  was  childless  and  they  adopted  a  little  girl.  This 
adoptive  child  was  married  to  General  Ney,  Prince  of  Elchingen, 
and  having  become  a  widow  early,  married  in  second  nuptials  the 
Due  de  Rivoli. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.      121 

came  ashore.  He  had  grown  a  little  stouter,  had 
nothing  external  about  him  that  looked  sickly, 
and  had  on  his  arm  a  stately  lady  in  a  simple 
gray  traveling  dress.  Mathilde  was  a  really 
very  beautiful  woman  of  tall  figure,  somewhat 
luxuriant  lines  and  lovely  oval  face  framed  with 
chestnut  hair,  red,  full  lips  which  showed  pretty, 
white  teeth,  and  large,  expressive  eyes  which 
shot  fire  when  under  excitement. 

We  were  destined  to  see  these  fine  eyes  flash 
very  soon,  when,  after  a  joyous  greeting,  my 
father  led  her  to  the  carriage  and  handed  her  a 
box  after  she  had  entered — but  with  a  start  of 
pain  let  it  fall  as  he  felt  his  finger  sharply  bitten. 
A  shrill  scream  escaped  from  Mathilde,  for  in 
the  box  was  Cocotte  the  parrot,  her  darling, 
which  she  had  brought  from  Paris. 

"  Heavens,  what  carelessness  to  scare  him  so, 
after  poor  Cocotte  has  just  been  so  seasick ! " 
said  she  in  an  irritated  tone. 

But  happily  Cocotte  had  sustained  no  injury, 
and  smiling  joyously  the  beautiful  woman's 
features  smoothed  themselves  out.  My  uncle 
approached  laughing  loudly  and  said  :  "  Dear 
brother-in-law,  you  nearly  forfeited  Mathilde's 


122       FAMILY  LIFE   Of  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

favor  forever ;  I  wrote  you  that  I  would  come 
with  my  family,  that  is  to  say,  with  my  wife  and 
parrot,  and  now  you  ignore  the  latter  entirely 
until  he  has  to  introduce  himself  to  you  with  a 
bite  !  " 

Cocotte  was  an  uncontrolled,  evil-disposed 
creature  which  began  to  clap  his  beak  and 
scream  savagely  when  in  a  bad  humor,  a  thing 
which  was  extremely  irritating  to  the  poor  poet 
with  his  many  headaches. 

One  day  Mathilde  rushed  into  the  room  when 
Cocotte  had  an  attack  of  the  cramps.  "  Heine  " 
she  sobbed  "  Cocotte  is  dying."  And  Heine 
replied  in  German,  not  understood  by  Mathilde, 
"  God  be  praised "  ;  but  the  prayer  came  too 
early,  for  the  bird  returned  to  health. 

During  the  first  days  of  his  stay  Heine  and  his 
wife  lived  in  our  house  in  the  greater  Theater 
Strasse,  and  during  the  next  week  moved  into  an 
elegant  lodging  in  a  first  floor  on  the  Esplan- 
ade. Meals  were  chiefly  taken  with  us,  and 
Mathilde,  who  enjoyed  very  much  the  dishes 
peculiar  to  Hamburg,  soon  felt  herself  very  gay 
and  at  home,  all  the  more  since  we  all  spoke 
French  and  her  sportive  ideas  got  applause. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEltfRICff  HEINE.       123 

The  first  visit  which  Heine  made  with  his  wife 
was  to  his  uncle  Salomon,  who  took  a  liking  to 
Mathilde,  since  Heine,  acting  the  interpreter 
with  great  tact,  knew  how  to  get  round  the  fact 
that  she  did  not  understand  a  word  of  German. 
The  old  gentleman  was  a  kindly,  beneficent 
man,  but  a  fearful  domestic  tyrant  and  could  not 
bear  to  have  people  converse  in  his  presence  in 
a  foreign  tongue,  because  he  understood  German 
only.  And  concerning  his  German  Heine  said 
with  no  little  descriptiveness :  "  At  official 
dinners  a  servant  stood  on  one  side  of  the  table 
for  the  dative  and  at  the  other  side  a  servant  for 
the  accusative."* 

One  of  his  sons-in-law,  who  had  settled  before 
in  England  and  had  there  failed  in  business, 
liked  to  embrace  every  occasion  to  speak  Eng- 
lish;  one  day  he  carried  on  in  a  loud  voice  a 
conversation  in  English  with  the  wife  of  the 
British  consul,  who  sat  opposite.  The  old  man, 
who  had  taken  the  lady  in,  listened  quietly  for  a 
time  ;  finally  he  wrinkled  his  brow  and,  inter- 

*An  allusion  to  the  errors  commonly  made  by  Germans  in 
using  the  accusative  for  the  dative  case  or  vice  versa  ;  more  par- 
ticularly the  use  of  mich  for  mir. — TR. 


124       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

i 
rupting  the  conversation,  said :  "  Is  it  not  so,  my 

son-in-law  speaks  good  English  ? — but  I  had  to 
pay  for  it,  for  his  learning  this  language  cost  me 
half  a  million  marks  !  " 

In  summer  Salomon  Heine  inhabited  a  splen- 
did villa  at  Ottensen,  whose  flower  garden  ran 
in  terraces  to  the  brink  of  the  Elbe,  and  the 
family  dinners  were  given  there  on  Wednesday 
and  Sunday. 

Next  Sunday  the  fashionable  carriage  of  Uncle 
Salomon  came  round  for  Heine  and  his  wife  in 
order  to  take  them  to  the  country  seat  to  dine, 
and  Heine  accepted  this  invitation  with  ill  grace, 
because  he  knew  that  Mathilde,  his  gay  child  of 
nature,  did  not  fit  in  very  well  with  the  plutocrats 
of  the  family  there  assembled. 

Aware  of  the  orders  of  the  old  gentleman  that 
no  one  should  converse  in  a  foreign  tongue,  only 
a  few  French  words  were  whispered  on  the  sly, 
and  poor  Mathilde  had  to  hold  her  tongue  for 
two  hours  and  bored  herself  fearfully.  At 
dessert  the  unlucky  chance  befell  that  the  old 
man  sent  round  a  bunch  of  grapes  of  unusual 
size,  with  berries  almost  as  large  as  plums, 
which  was  grown  in  his  hothouse,  but  only  as  a 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H BIN  RICH  HEINE.        125 

curiosity  for  the  amazement  of  all.  When  the 
plate  reached  Mathilde  she  took  the  bunch, 
since  she  did  not  think  otherwise  than  that  it 
was  meant  for  her  and  she  paid  those  grapes 
special  attention.  After  a  little  the  old  man 
asked  in  an  irritated  way  where  the  bunch  was, 
and  when  he  was  told  what  had  occurred,  Heine 
said  with  quick  resolution  :  "  Dear  uncle,  your 
grape  bunch  was  a  miracle,  but  still  another 
miracle  has  occurred — it  has  disappeared ;  an 
angel  carried  it  off."  The  old  man  laughed 
and  the  grapes  were  forgotten,  for  he  loved  to 
have  his  nephew  get  off  impromptus  of  that 
sort. 

Another  time  Heine  was  speaking  of  an 
exchange  broker  who  occasionally  was  a  guest 
at  his  uncle's  table,  had  visited  a  university  town 
in  his  youth,  was  somewhat  limited  in  wit,  and 
thought  much  of  good  eating,  and  he  said  :  "  Pity 
that  his  learning  only  got  as  far  as  his  throat." 

Mathilde  was  glad  when  she  got  home  again, 
and  declared  to  her  husband  that  she  did  not 
want  to  visit  again  the  stiff,  wearisome  society  at 
his  uncle's.  Heine  knew  his  stubborn  little  girl 
and  was  in  great  embarrassment,  because  the 


126       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

good  will  of  his  uncle  was  very  important  to  him  ; 
he  answered  there  was  only  one  way  out  of  it, 
namely,  for  her  to  return  to  Paris  without  him. 
As  Mathilde  insisted  on  her  resolve,  her  husband 
was  compelled  to  send  her  to  her  early  boarding 
school  in  care  of  Mme.  Darte  at  Paris,  under 
the  pretense  that  her  mother  was  ill ;  and  after 
a  fortnight's  stay  Mathilde  took  leave  of  us, 
bathed  in  tears. 

Heine  remained  in  Hamburg  and  finished  his 
book  "  Deutschland,  ein  Wintermarchen,"  a 
humorous  epic,  in  which  his  impressions  of  the 
sea  voyage  of  the  year  before  were  depicted, 
and  which  appeared  with  the  "  New  Poems  "  in 
September,  while  he  was  staying  in  Hamburg.* 
The  severe  satirical  lashing  of  the  situation  of 
affairs,  at  that  time  impossible  to  endure,  aroused 
in  many  persons  anger  and  vexation,  but  the 
majority  on  the  other  hand  were  astonished  at 
his  clever  indestructible  humor. 

The  "Wintermarchen"  proved  such  a  pleasure 
to  his  uncle  Salomon  that  he  made  his  nephew 
a  round  present  of  money  and  promised  him  that 

*For  the  long  poem  "  Deutschland  "  see  vol.  ii.  pp.  211-278, 
— TR, 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        127 

the  annual  income  which  he  received  should  be 
continued  to  his  wife  after  his  death. 

Heine  took  his  meals  usually  in  my  parent's 
house  and  often  stayed  there  in  the  evening  for 
a  jolly  gossip  over  a  cup  of  tea.  My  sister  Anna,* 
his  favorite,  made  tea  for  him  and  had  to  suffer 
particularly  from  his  teasing. 

Almost  always  he  inquired  :  "  Is  this  a  cup  of 
tea  such  as  you  would  have  made  for  yourself,  or 
is  it  camomile  tea?"  Weary  of  this  reiterated 
teasing,  she  handed  her  uncle  one  day  a  cup  of 
real  camomile  tea,  which  he  put  down  from  his 
lips,  shuddering,  while  he  exclaimed:  "Boo! 
the  bread  and  butter  Miss  has  taken  her  re- 
venge ! " 

Heine's  favorite  haunt  was  the  pavilion  on  the 
Alsterbasin  whither  he  went  almost  every  day 
and  remained  gossiping  with  his  friends  Dr.  Wille, 
Julius  Campe,  Dr.  Fuchs,  Michelis,  Dr.  Carl 
Toepfer,  Professor  Zimmermann  and  the  painter 
Kizero. 

Sometimes  I  was  allowed  to  accompany  him, 
and  then  he  sat  either  monosyllabic,  dreamily 
gazing  down  on  the  crinkled  waves  of  the  Alster, 
*  Mrs.  Anna  (Embden)  Italiener,  born  in  London, 


128       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

following  with  his  eyes  a  swan  as  it  sailed  by,  or 
talkative,  giving  me  excellent  hints  of  what  books 
I  ought  to  select  for  my  reading.  He  warned  me 
against  the  reading  of  newspapers,  since  less  of  it 
sticks  in  one's  memory  than  what  one  gains  from 
any  ordinary  book.  He  had  a  high  regard  for 
Jean  Paul — and  I  must  read  his  works  slowly  and 
carefully,  which  would  bear  fruit  for  my  whole 
life!  Moreover,  he  could  not  recommend  me 
enough  to  make  myself  acquainted  with  the 
works  of  Charles  Dickens  in  the  absence  from 
the  German  of  the  rarely  occurring  novel  of 
comedy. 

This  delightful  propinquity  came  to  an  end  too 
soon  for  all  of  us,  for  Heine's  French  publishers 
asked  urgently  for  his  presence  in  Paris,  and 
after  a  tender  farewell  he  returned  at  the  begin- 
ning of  October  on  the  steamer  by  way  of  Am- 
sterdam to  Paris. 

XLIX 

AMSTERDAM,  October  n,  1844. 
DEAREST  MOTHER: 

Amsterdam,  which  we  should  have  reached 
this  morning,  was  not  reached  till  seven  this 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        129 

afternoon.  Still,  I  have  had  a  very  pleasant 
journey  and  was  not  sick  at  all.  This  very  night 
I  travel  to  the  Hague  and  in  two  or  three  days 
I  shall  be  in  Paris,  whence  I  shall  not  write  you 
at  once,  as  the  rest  of  the  journey  now  is  child's 
play.  I  hope  that  these  few  lines  written  in  the 
greatest  haste  will  get  away  this  evening.  In 
any  event  you  must  have  set  your  mind  at  rest 
about  me  some  time  ago,  since  you  could  see 
yourself  how  fine  and  quiet  the  weather  was. 

I  write  these  few  lines  on  the  bench  at  the  rail- 
way station  and  with  a  seasick  pen. 

I  embrace  Lotta.     Greetings  to  all. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 


PARIS,  October  17,  1844. 
MY  DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER: 

I  trust  you  received  the  letter  which  I  wrote 
you  on  my  arrival  in  Amsterdam.  The  rest  of 
my  journey  was  also  favored  by  good  weather, 
and  yesterday  evening  I  arrived  in  Paris  in  the 
best  health  at  the  side  of  my  dear  wife.  I  found 
her  lively  and  in  good  health,  and  she  has  con- 


130       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

ducted  herself  like  a  model  of  obedience  just  as  I 
arranged.  We  are  both  still  as  if  stunned  by  the 
joy  of  seeing  each  other  again  !  We  look  at  each 
other  with  big,  round  eyes,  laugh,  embrace,  talk 
about  you  all,  laugh  again,  and  the  parrot  screams 
in  between  like  mad.  How  glad  I  am  to  see  both 
my  birds  again  !  You  see,  dear  mother,  I  am  as 
happy  as  a  man  well  can  be,  seeing  there  is 
nothing  perfect  in  this  world.  All  I  need  now  is 
a  sound  head  and  the  presence  of  my  kind 
mother  and  my  kind  Lotta.  In  a  few  days  I 
shall  miss  you  still  more ;  now  I  am  filled  too 
much  with  the  delight  of  coming  back. 

Tell  Lotta  that  she  must  write  me  soon  (Fau- 
bourg Poissonttre,  No.  46).  I  shall  only  write  to 
her  later,  since  I  have  nothing  yet  to  report  to 
her  and  she  will  hear  of  my  happy  arrival  from 
this  letter.  I  greet  the  whole  cabal — the  chicks, 
the  boy,  and  very  special  compliments  are  to  be 
paid  in  my  name  and  my  wife's  to  my  brother-in- 
law,  to  whom  my  wife  sends  the  warmest  thanks 
for  his  courteous  attentions. 

Only  write  to  me  soon  how  Uncle  Heine  is ;  I 
left  you  all  in  such  good  health  that  I  take  yours 
for  granted. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        131 

A  great  pile  of  work  awaits  me  here  this  minute 
and  despite  my  vile  headache  I  must  strain  every 
nerve  for  the  next  few  months. 

I  have  bought  my  wife  a  marvelous  splendid 
family  register,  just  such  an  album  *  as  she  has 
been  long  desiring.  She  promises  to  write  you 
soon.  Meantime  God  keep  you  and  you  will  live 
long. 

I  embrace  you,  dear  mother.  Did  Jette  have 
to  look  to  see  what  the  wind  was  very  often  on 

Wednesday  night? 

H.  HEINE. 

LI 

PARIS,  October  24,  1844. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  see  nothing  and  hear  nothing  of  my  chest  and 
yet  I  need  the  books  that  are  in  it.  I  pray  you 
write  me  at  once  when  and  how  that  box  left. 
I  am,  God  be  praised,  in  good  health  ;  my  wife  is 
also  well.  Kisses  to  Lotta  and  the  children. 
We  talk  of  you  here  all  the  time.  Lotta  will 
soon  write  me,  I  hope. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

*  For  lines  in  Mathilde's  album  see  vol.  iii.  p.  97. 


I32        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

LII 

PARIS,  November  28,  1844. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

My  eyes  were  in  bad  case  again,  but  are  better 
now  and  in  order  to  spare  them  I  write  little. 
Otherwise  my  wife  and  I  are  in  good  health. 
We  are  happy  and  of  good  cheer.  Your  last  let- 
ter is  received.  Uncle's  sickness  makes  me  sad 
beyond  conception  ;  do  write  everything  at  once 
and  often.  I  have  your  letter ;  I  do  not  know 
what  poem  it  can  be  which  you  mention ;  if  it 
relates  to  me  send  it  to  me  under  separate  cover. 
I  beg  you  to  forward  the  inclosure  to  Lotta. 

It  is  late  and  very  dark  and  my  pen  is  much 

blacker  than  my  heart. 

*  #  *  %  * 

H.  HEINE. 

LIII 

PARIS,  November  28,  1844. 
MY  DEAR,  KIND  SISTER  : 

I  thank  you  for  your  letter  of  the  i8th.  I  ought 
to  have  written  to  you  long  ago  and  at  length. 
But  unhappily  my  eye  trouble  had  so  wretch- 
edly increased  that  only  with  the  greatest  effort 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.       133 

could  I  write  at  all  and  I  had  nothing  of  urgent 
importance  to  say.  My  eye,  which  was  shut 
entirely  for  three  weeks,  is  now  open  again, 
but  is  still  very  weak  ;  the  trouble,  however, 
seems  periodical,  and  I  shall  certainly  be 
quite  free  from  it  from  time  to  time.  Other- 
wise I  am  in  excellent  condition,  have  a  good 
appetite,  am  very  quiet,  and  live  pleasantly  in 
my  domestic  shell.  The  squanderer  is  as  ever 
a  kind  child  ;  honest,  gay,  only  now  and  then 
given  to  a  few  whimsies.  We  are  always  talking 
about  you  all.  And  I  cannot  tell  you  how  much 
my  wife  admires  you  all,  particularly  mother, 
who  is  a  woman  splendidly  kind.  Kiss  her  well  in 
my  name  and  my  wife's.  Kisses  to  your  children 
too,  and  the  heartiest  greetings  to  your  husband. 
What  you  write  me  concerning  uncle  [Salomon 
Heine]  is  very  sad.  You  can  imagine  my  sor- 
row. At  any  risk  you  must  not  leave  me  with- 
out news  of  his  condition ;  I  expect  a  weekly 
bulletin  from  you.  I  beg  you  not  to  neglect  to 
let  me  know  as  often  as  possible  the  mournful  or 
pleasant  news  of  the  family  ;  it  is  beyond  all  con- 
ception important  to  me.  I  did  not  imagine 
this,  and  my  heart  is  very  heavy  in  consequence. 


134       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

My  eye  trouble,  which  came  upon  me  immedi- 
ately I  arrived,  is  to  blame  that  I  did  not  write  a 
minute  report  to  Max,  as  I  intended.  I  wanted  to 
explain  everything  to  him  in  a  necessarily  cautious 
and  clearly  stated  way — and  so  it  happened  that 
I  wrote  not  at  all.  But  it  is  now  a  case  in  which 
it  is  your  duty  to  report  to  him  quickly  and  firmly 
uncle's  condition  ;  tell  him  the  truth.  If  there  is 
hope  that  he  may  not  come  too  late  to  fulfill  the 
duties  of  filial  attachment,  perhaps  he  will  now 
hasten  thither  quicker  than  before.  I  pray  you 
write  to  him  at  once  and  keep  him  also  an  courant 
as  to  the  condition  of  a  health  so  dear  to  us. 

And  now  farewell.     As  soon  as  my  eyes  per- 
mit I  shall  write  more.     Besides,  it  is  so  dark  to- 
day !     A  disgusting,  loathsome  month  !     I  await 
with  anxiety  your  next  letter.     Greetings  to  all. 
Your  true  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

LIV 

PARIS,  December  23,  1844. 
DEAR  CHILD  : 

Inclosed  a  letter  to  mother,  the  contents  of 
which  is  for  you  too  !  I  burden  you  in  addition 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        135 

with  a  commission  for  Uncle  Henry.  I  had  sent 
him  a  bill  of  exchange  for  one  thousand  marks 
drawn  on  Campe,  with  the  request  that  he  should 
discount  it.  Now  my  kind  Uncle  Henry  sent 
me  yesterday  the  sum  of  money,  but  called  my 
attention  to  the  fact  that  Campe  had  not  yet 
accepted  it,  and  though  not  declining  to  do  so, 
was  waiting  for  an  answer  from  me  to  his  last 
letter. 

Since  then  a  difference  of  opinion  has  risen  be- 
tween us,  which,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  only  has  a  mis- 
understanding at  bottom,  and  which  I  explained 
away  in  my  reply.  But  since  on  this  occasion  I 
have  told  him  [Campe]  very  forcibly  the  truth 
of  the  situation,  it  is  just  possible  that  he  may 
not  accept  my  draft.  So  I  wish  you  would  tell 
Uncle  Henry  that  I  thank  him  very  heartily  for 
his  confidence,  but  that  in  the  above  circum- 
stances I  shall  not  allow  the  draft  on  Fould  re- 
ceived from  him  to  be  paid  out  to  me  until 
I  have  received  news  through  you  that  my  bill 
of  exchange  has  been  accepted  by  Campe.  If 
this  is  not  done,  I  shall  send  back  to  Uncle 
Henry  his  draft.  Tell  mother  nothing  about 
this.  Shall  look  out  for  myself  better  in  my 


136       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

dealings  with  Campe,  although  hitherto  I  have 
had  no  dispute  with  him. 

My  wife  has  received  a  Christmas  present  from 
Uncle  Heine. 

*  •*  •*  *  # 

H.  HEINE. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  December  1844  Salo- 
mon Heine  died,  and  the  news  of  his  decease 
threw  the  poet,  with  his  nervous  temperament, 
into  great  excitement. 

Salomon  Heine,  born  1767  in  Hanover,  came  to 
Hamburg  without  means,  established  himself  as 
an  exchange  broker  after  preparing  himself  for 
mercantile  pursuits,  founded  the  at  one  time 
world-famous  banking  house,  and  died  a  million- 
aire several  times  over.  He  was  very  generally 
regretted  owing  to  his  many  works  of  benev- 
olence. His  most  prominent  foundations  are 
the  Hermann  Heine  Loan  Institute  in  memory 
of  his  son  who  died  in  Rome  as  early  as  1830, 
and  the  Hamburg  Hospital  for  Israelites  *  in 
memory  of  his  wife,  Betty  Goldschmidt. 

*  See  vol.  ii.  p.  106,  for  Heine's  bitter  verses  suggested  by  this 
hospital.— TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.     137 

LV 

PARIS,  December  29,  1844. 
DEAR,  KIND  SISTER: 

Late  yesterday  evening  I  received  your  letter. 
You  can  easily  imagine  what  a  frightful  night  I 
have  passed.  My  brain  is  trembling  in  my  head. 
I  am  not  able  yet  to  put  two  thoughts  together. 
Although  I  was  prepared  for  the  catastrophe,  still 
it  has  shaken  me  so  deeply  as  no  event  has  moved 
me  since  the  death  of  my  father.  I  am  amazed  that 
you  can  write  me  at  once  under  all  your  sorrow. 

You  weep ;  but  so  far  I  have  not  been  able  to 
shed  a  tear.  You  women  have  this  advantage, 
you  can  weep  easier  than  men.  My  wife  is 
crying  too  ;  thrice  this  night  has  she  come  to 
my  room.  You  are  right  in  saying  that  time 
alone  can  console  us  under  this  affliction.  How 
must  not  that  good  woman  Therese*  suffer! 

*  Therese,  the  youngest  of  Salomon  Heine's  daughters  (died 
1880)  was  as  little  an  unhappy  youthful  love  of  Heinrich  Heine  as 
her  older  sister,  who  died  before  her — Mrs.  Amalie  Friedlander. 
Certain  quotations  from  his  poems  may  very  possibly  have  refer- 
ence to  Amalie,  who  was  beautiful  and  clever  according  to  every 
account  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  poet.  [But  see  letter  cix. 
for  the  endeavors  of  the  family  to  keep  Therese  from  Heine's  sick- 
bed in  1853.— TR.] 


138       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

And  Carl,  the  poor  boy,  how  much  must  he  have 
undergone  !  I  shall  not  write  to  the  poor  children 
until  I  am  controlled  and  quiet.  My  God,  what 
a  sorrow ! 

And  dear  Uncle  Henry,  how  this  must  fall 
upon  him  !  Tell  him  everything  that  is  affec- 
tionate. My  head  will  not  yet  permit  me  to  send 
condolences.  The  pen  shakes  in  my  hand. 
Moreover,  my  eyes  are  in  the  most  frightful  con- 
dition again.  Oh,  if  I  could  only  weep. 

It  was  only  yesterday  that  I  wrote  to  him, 
although  I  had  a  premonition  of  disaster.  Let 
me  have  all  the  details  of  his  last  moments. 
This  man  has  played  a  great  role  in  the  history 
of  my  life  and  shall  be  depicted  in  a  way  none 
shall  forget.  What  a  heart !  What  a  brain  ! 
Concerning  his  last  arrangements  I  have  long 
been  without  anxiety ;  he  himself  has  told  me 
enough  about  it  or  clearly  given  me  to  under- 
stand. I  would  give  my  last  shilling  if  I  could 
only  have  kept  him  alive  five  years,  or  even  only 
three  years  more ;  yes,  I  would  have  given  the 
half  of  my  remaining  years  of  life  for  that  satis- 
faction. And  how  charmingly  he  treated  my 
poor  mother! 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEItfRICH  HEIXE.        139 

He  said  many  harsh  things  to  me ;  in  his 
excitement  he  even  gave  me  a  blow  with  his 
cane — my  God,  how  gladly  would  I  not  take  my 
blows  again  !  If  I  could  only  cry! 

I  am  awaiting  with  anxiety  the  woeful  letter 
from  mother,  who,  I  know  her  so  well,  will  not 
be  quieted  soon  and  is  now  tearing  open  all  the 
old  wounds.  Only  do  you  write  me  at  once  how 
Carl  is  getting  on  ;  and  about  Therese  too,  who 
along  with  all  her  firmness  is  still  a  tender 
creature  and  has  already  borne  much.  Her 
father  was  all  in  all  to  her  and  she  is  so  like  him 
in  her  whole  nature.  Farewell,  and  write  me  at 
once.  I  have  nothing  to  say  to  you  to-day ;  am 
nothing  but  a  sloppy  dishrag  to-day. 

I  have  always  been  steeled  against  this  occur- 
rence and  long  ago  repeated  to  myself  every- 
thing that  can  comfort  us — and  yet  the  disaster 
falls  upon  me  as  if  it  were  quite  unexpected, 
quite  impossible.  Yes,  I  know  it  is  quite  true, 
that  I  have  lost  him,  but  I  cannot  believe  it  yet. 

Greetings  to  your  husband.  Kiss  the  two 
dear  children.  Would  like  to  say  something  gay 
to  them,  but  to-day  all  fun  is  out  of  me. 

Your  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 


14°       FA  MIL  Y  LIFE  OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

The  sudden  news  of  the  death  of  his  uncle 
Salomon,  and  the  fact  that  there  was  no  allusion 
in  the  will,  as  his  uncle  had  promised,  to  a 
continuation  of  the  annual  allowance,  had  a 
crushing  effect  on  Heine's  health.  His  only  son 
Carl,  who  was  the  chief  heir  morejudaico,  declined 
to  continue  the  payment  and  had  also  ordered 
withheld  the  small  legacy  of  eight  thousand 
marks  which  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the 
will  went  legally  to  Heine,  because  the  latter 
threatened  to  obtain  his  rights  by  way  of  the  law. 

When  they  besought  Heine  not  to  push  the 
matter  to  the  last  point,  but  to  compose  the  dif- 
ference of  opinion  with  his  cousin  by  attempts  at 
a  compromise,  he  wrote  to  Hamburg  :  "  I  know 
Carl  Heine  better  than  you ;  he  is  as  stubborn 
as  he  is  secretive.  One  cannot  get  at  him  on  the 
line  of  ambition,  for  in  this  respect  he  is  the 
opposite  of  his  father,  who  flattered  public 
opinion  like  a  courtier,  while  it  is  entirely  indif- 
ferent to  my  cousin  what  the  people  say.  He  has 
but  three  passions — women,  cigars  and  quiet.  I 
cannot  take  from  him  the  two  former — but  his 
quiet  [I  can]  and  it  is  just  a  lawsuit  that  serves 
my  purpose." 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        141 

Both  were  hot-headed,  and  it  was  not  till  two 
years  later,  after  many  troublesome  efforts  of  his 
sister  Charlotte  and  various  friends,  that  an  un- 
derstanding with  Carl  Heine  took  place.  It  was 
agreed  to  pay  an  allowance  of  four  thousand 
francs  pranumerando,  one-half  of  which  was  to 
continue  for  his  widow  after  the  death  of  the 
poet. 

Carl  Heine  was  a  man  of  violent  temper  but 
good  heart,  and  the  poet's  complaints  of  his 
knavery  were  unjust.  When  Heine's  sickness  got 
worse  and  his  nursing  cost  great  outlays,  Carl 
Heine  raised  the  pension  voluntarily  to  eight 
thousand  francs,  and  Mathilde  received  as 
widow  not  the  half  allowance  stipulated,  but 
every  year  till  the  end  of  her  life  the  sum  of 
five  thousand  francs — probably  in  remembrance 
of  the  fact  that  when  in  1832  the  cholera  was 
raging  at  Paris  and  Carl  Heine  had  fallen  sick  of 
it  and  was  in  peril  of  his  life,  his  health  was  re- 
stored to  him  only  through  the  self-sacrificing 
nursing  of  his  cousin  Heinrich. 

Heine's  sickness  was  very  badly  heightened  by 
the  continuous  state  of  excitement,  but  a  water 
cure  saved  him;  and  in  hopes  of  entire  con- 


142        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

valescence,  he  had  moved  into  a  country  house  at 
the  order  of  his  physician. 


LVI 

PARIS,  June  24,  1845. 
MY  DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

Since  about  a  fortnight  I  have  been  living  at 
Montmorency  and  get  rarely  into  the  city. 
Yesterday  evening  I  came  in  and  heard  that  a 
German  letter  had  been  forwarded  to  me  at 
Montmorency,  and  I  suppose  that  the  letter  is 
from  you;  I  shall  get  it  to-morrow,  and  if  it  be 
necessary  shall  answer  it  later;  if  not,  then  con- 
tent yourself  with  the  news  that  we  are  in  good 
•  health.  I  have  a  little  country  house  in  Mont- 
morency with  a  pretty  garden — a  veritable 
paradise  en  miniature.  My  wife  conducts  herself 
most  affectionately  and  amuses  herself  with  the 
flowers.  My  parrot  screeches  rather  too  much. 
My  left  eye  is  still  closed.  I  am  using  sulphur 
baths,  which  are  excellent  for  me..  I  can  scarcely 
write  at  all  with  the  pen  I  am  using  to-day ;  but 
I  must  not  leave  you  too  long  without  a  letter. 
I  hope  that  you  and  Lotta  are  in  good  health. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        143 

You  must  walk  a  great  deal.     We  talk  of  you 
constantly,  and  you  have  no  conception  how  my 
wife  loves  you.     Do  write  me  soon  how  things 
are  with  you.     I  do  very  little — write  nothing! 
Farewell  and  keep  in  affection 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

LVII 

PARIS,  October  31,  1845. 
DEAR,  PRECIOUS  MOTHER  : 

Again  you  are  getting  very  lazy  about  writing. 
Your  silence  makes  me  still  more  anxious  in  a  sea- 
son when  the  weather  itself  puts  one  in  bad  humor. 
I  hope  that  you  and  Lotta  are  in  good  case. 
Things  go  on  here  as  usual.  Nothing  note- 
worthy has  happened  since  I  wrote.  My  wife  is 
well ;  indeed,  I  hope  that  her  illness  has  entirely 
forsaken  her.  We  dwell  here  quiet,  peaceful  and 
well,  are  much  at  home  and  recall  you  in  our 
long  winter-evening  talks. 

'Tis  to  be  hoped  that  this  year  will  slink  off 
quietly  without  any  new  blows ;  it  has  been  a 
vile  year. 

Greet  my  dear  sister  heartily ;  I  have  nothing 


144       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE. 

to  remark  to  her,  otherwise  I  should  write  to  her. 
But  she  must  not  leave  me  without  a  letter. 

My  wife  asks  to  be  remembered.  At  the 
moment  she  is  occupied  in  hemming  my  bed- 
clothes ;  linen  is  her  hobby. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

LVIII 

PARIS,  April  23,  1846. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  duly  received  your  last  letter  a  fortnight  ago 
and  saw  that  you  were  well.  Not  a  little  am  I 
astonished  that  your  companion  Jette  is  about 
to  don  the  married  woman's  cap  and  will  leave 
you.  I  shall  be  in  much  worry  until  I  hear 
from  you  that  she  has  been  satisfactorily  re- 
placed. I  hope  that  nothing  else  disagree- 
able has  happened,  and  that  Lotta  is  well. 
Things  go  on  with  me  as  usual  ;  my  trouble 
draws  downward  to  the  lower  parts  of  the  face, 
toward  my  mouth.  But  I  am  fresh  and  sound  at 
heart ;  I  intend  this  year  to  make  a  trip  to  the 
baths  and  so  do  something  really  serious  toward 
my  complete  restoration. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        145 

I  hardly  work  at  all ;  that  is  certainly  the  best 
I  can  do.  Probably  I  shall  leave  about  the 
middle  of  next  month. 

My  wife  is  in  pretty  good  condition ;  only  for 
the  last  two  days  the  little  birds  that  grunt  have 
been  sounding  their  pipes  a  bit.  I  have  moved 
and  am  now  living  a  little  more  comfortably  on 
the  same  street.  My  address  is  ^/  Faubourg  Pois- 
sontire.  Write  me  soon,  so  that  the  letter  may 
catch  me  in  Paris. 

My  wife  asks  to  be  tenderly  remembered. 
Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

LIX 

PARIS,  December  26,  1846. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

We  are  at  the  close  of  the  old  year,  which  has 
done  us  as  little  good  as  its  forerunner.  May  the 
new  year  conduct  itself  better !  In  any  event, 
I  congratulate  you  and  our  dear  Lotta  on  this 
change  of  season.  My  wife  also  asks  me  to  tell 
and  wish  you  everything  that  is  most  kind.  We 
embrace  you  with  the  most  profound  tenderness. 
My  wife  is  now  quite  well  in  health  and  things 


146       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

get  on  much  better  with  me.  I  drink  and  eat 
with  a  good  appetite  and  have  cleared  out  all 
the  physicians.  We  live  quietly  and  in  the  best 
unity.  Talk  of  you  all  the  time. 

Inclosed  a  letter  which  I  beg  you  to  send  to 
Campe. 

***** 

H.  HEINE. 

LX 

PARIS,  February  28,  1847. 
DEAR,  KIND  GLORY  OF  A  MOTHER  ! 

Your  and  Lotta's  last  letters,  in  which  is  the 
reply  to  my  questions  for  Campe,  has  been 
duly  received,  and  I  thank  you  heartily,  dear 
Lotta,  for  its  prompt  furtherance.  I  have  now 
found  a  means  to  secure  an  immediate  answer 
from  you  both — namely,  by  giving  you  a  com- 
mission. I  hope  you  are  both  in  the  best  of 
health.  A  savage  cold  has  set  in  here  which  is 
not  exactly  favorable  to  me.  Still,  I  keep  pretty 
well,  my  condition  improves  pen  &fleu,ar\d  I  look 
forward  to  an  agreeable  spring  and  summer. 
Only  my  poor  eyes  are  suffering  very  much,  or 
rather  the  convulsive  paralysis  drags  my  eyelids 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        1 47 

down  more  and  more,  so  that  I  am  seeing  very 
badly  ;  the  eyes  themselves  are  sound. 

I  am  now  on  entirely  good  terms  with  Carl 
Heine ;  indeed,  I  am  even  satisfied  with  him  ! 
Not  only  is  he  to  pay  me  the  pension  which 
I  received  from  his  father  down  to  the  end 
of  my  life,  but  he  has  besides  imparted  to  me 
the  solemn  promise  that  after  my  death  (God 
preserve  me  !)  the  half  of  the  sum,  namely  two 
thousand  four  hundred  francs,  shall  go  to  my 
wife  for  life  if  she  survives  me.  I  am  more 
pleased  with  that  than  if  he  had  made  me  a 
present  of  a  large  sum  of  money.  It  is  a  great 
question,  'tis  true,  if  she  do  survive  me  ;  but  she 
is  so  spoiled  and  inexperienced  that  I  cannot 
sufficiently  care  for  her.  If  she  had  more  sense, 
I  would  have  occupied  myself  less  with  her 
future  ;  and  here  again  you  see  how  foolishness 
is  a  happy  gift  from  God,  for  other  persons  must 
look  out  for  the  foolish.  My  business  looks  well 
in  other  respects.  I  do  not  mean  the  stock  ex- 
change, from  which  I  have  withdrawn  with  a 
black  eye ! 

We  are  always  talking  here  about  you  and  dear 
Lotta  and  the  children.  May  God  preserve  you ! 


148       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Fine  compliments  to  my  brother-in-law 
Moritz,  particularly  from  my  wife,  whose  head 
has  been  quite  turned  by  him.  Carl  was  sur- 
prised to  hear  with  what  enthusiasm  my  wife 
talked  of  Moritz;  he  also  spoke  of  him  in 
praise. 

And  now  farewell,  and  keep  me  in  affection. 

H.  HEINE. 

LXI 

PARIS,  March  27,  1847. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

For  some  days  the  most  marvelous  fine  weather 
has  favored  us  here,  but  it  is  still  too  sultry  to  be 
healthy  ;  the  whole  world  is  more  or  less  out  of 
kilter,  and  for  my  part  I  am  still  suffering  with 
my  eyes.  You  cannot  conceive  how  unpleasant 
it  is  not  to  be  allowed  to  read,  and  also  not  to  go 
to  the  theater  because  of  the  frightful  gas  lights  ; 
here  I  sit  every  evening  en  t$te-h-tete  with  my 
wife,  who  has  to  take  the  place  of  all  other 
amusements.  I  have  hired  a  wondrous  fine 
country  place  at  Montmorency ;  it  costs  likewise 
a  wondrous  fine  sum,  one  thousand  francs  for  the 
season,  and  in  May  I  shall  move  out  there  and 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        149 

give   myself    up   to   the   most  complete,   nerve 
strengthening  quiet. 

And  how  are  things  with  you  ?  Only  write  me 
lots.  Lotta  also  is  thanked  for  every  line  she 
writes  me. 

I  have  published  "Atta  Troll"  in  French,  and 
it  is  an  incredible  success. 

Farewell ;  I  must  now  go  out  for  a  walk  in  this 
beautiful  weather. 

Your  loving,  faithful, 

H.  HEINE. 

Heine  wrote  in  the  preface  to  the  French 
issue:  "'Atta  Troll'  was  written  in  1841  at  a 
time  when  the  so-called  political  poesy  bloomed. 
The  opposition  sold  out  its  junk  shop  and  turned 
to  poesy.  The  Muses  received  the  most  strict 
orders  no  longer  to  loaf  about  in  a  lazy  and  friv- 
olous way,  but  to  enter  into  the  service  of  the 
fatherland,  as  who  should  say  the  market  women 
of  liberty,  or  the  laundresses  of  the  truly  Chris- 
tian and  Germanic  nation  !  By  the  eternal  gods  ! 
at  that  time  it  was  necessary  to  stand  up  for  the 
inalienable  rights  of  the  intellect,  especially  in 
poetry.  As  this  stand  was  the  grand  purpose  of 


150       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  IIEINRICH  HEINE. 

my  life,  I  have  naturally  least  of  all  lost  sight 
of  it  in  the  present  poem,  and  the  prosody, 
as  well  as  the  contents  thereof,  was  a  protest 
against  the  plebiscita  held  by  the  journalistic 
tribunes  of  the  day. 

"And  in  fact,  the  very  first  fragments  of  'Atta 
Troll '  which  were  printed  roused  the  spleen  of 
my  character-heroes,  of  my  Romans,  who  accused 
me  not  merely  of  a  literary  but  of  a  social 
reaction ;  yea  verily,  of  scorn  for  the  most  holy 
ideas  concerning  mankind !  With  respect  to  the 
aesthetic  value  of  my  poem,  I  gladly  gave  that 
up,  and  wrote  it  for  my  own  joy  and  delectation 
in  the  fantastic  dream-method  of  that  romantic 
school  in  which  I  have  passed  the  pleasantest  of 
my  youthful  years.  In  this  respect,  perhaps,  my 
poem  is  damnable.  But  thou  liest,  Brutus;  thou 
liest,  Cassius ;  and,  Asinius,  thou  liest  likewise, 
when  ye  maintain  that  my  jesting  is  aimed  at 
those  ideas  which  are  a  valuable  gain  made  by 
mankind,  for  the  which  I  myself  have  battled  and 
suffered  so  much  !  No,  just  because  those  ideas 
are  always  floating  before  the  poet  with  the  most 
beautiful  distinctness,  just  so  much  the  more 
irresistible  is  the  desire  to  laugh  which  seizes 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEItfRICIt  HEINE.        151 

him  when  he  perceives  how  rudely,  lumpishly  and 
lubberly  these  very  ideas  have  been  conceived 
by  the  narrow  minds  of  his  contemporaries. 
Then  he  jokes,  as  it  were,  across  their  temporal 
bearskins.  There  are  mirrors  which  are  ground 
at  such  a  slant  that  an  Apollo  himself  must  be 
reflected  in  them  as  a  caricature  and  compel 
our  laughter.  But  then  we  laugh  at  the  distorted 
picture,  not  the  god." 


LXII 

PARIS,  April  19,  1847. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  I3th, 
and  see  with  delight  that  you  are  in  good  health 
and  moreover  that  Madame  Gustav  has  calved. 
I  send  him  congratulations  through  you.  So  far 
he  has  been  able  to  engender  girls  only  ;  that  is 
nothing;  I,  had  I  wished,  might  have  been  at 
present  the  father  of  nine  daughters  just  as  well 
as  Apollo  who  engendered  the  nine  Muses.  I 
hear  nothing  but  good  of  Gustav  from  Vienna  ; 
he  is  getting  on  splendidly,  it  seems.  Formerly 
I  heard  with  great  bewilderment  that  he  was  liv- 


IS 2        FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

ing  in  a  very  economical  way  ('tis  true  I  thought 
of  the  commissioner).  Greet  him  heartily  for 
me  ;  I  often  think  of  him,  and  it  was  only  yester- 
night that  I  recollected  how  once  as  a  little  boy 
he  assured  us  that  he  loved  his  mother  more 
than  his  cat ;  nay,  that  he  loved  her  more  than 
six  cats ! 

My  dear  Lotta  I  embrace  fraternally  as  well  as 
the  children.  I  am  gay  and  well,  but  rail  against 
the  world  ;  and  if  by  chance  you  hear  that  I  am 
on  a  diet  of  grass,  be  assured  that  I  am  only 
taking  a  bite  at  a  good  cooky  ! 

Unhappily,  nothing  is  changed  as  regards  my 
eyes  ;  it  is  the  cramp  also  that  affects  the  mouth  ; 
probably  it  will  vanish  under  the  nerve-sooth- 
ing air  and  quiet  of  the  country.  I  shall  permit 
no  doctors  near  me  any  more.  I  notice  that  all 
the  people  who  have  died  this  winter  have  had  a 
physician  ! 

At  the  present  moment,  while  I  am  preparing 
to  move  into  the  country,  I  am  employed  with 
the  arrangement  of  my  papers.  This  time  I  am 
going  through  all  my  letters  again  and  burning 
all  in  which  the  slightest  thing  occurs  which 
might  be  taken  up,  especially  in  family  matters. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        15$ 

Unhappily  I  have  been  forced  to  give  to  the 
flames  a  part  of  the  letters  from  you  and  almost 
all  of  those  from  Lotta ;  a  thing  that  hurt  me 
grievously,  since  I  love  you  both  more  than — six 
cats! 

As  you  know,  I  have  published  "Atta  Troll '  in 
French  and  am  delighted  by  the  extraordinary 
applause  it  has  found.  Greet  Max  for  me  when 
you  write,  and  I  pray  you  send  me  again  his 
address  at  St.  Petersburg ;  I  mislaid  it  and  want 
to  spare  myself  the  trouble  of  looking  it  up. 

Just  now  my  wife  came  in  (she  lives  six  rooms 
away  from  my  workroom)  and  without  my  tell- 
ing it  noticed  that  I  was  writing  to  you  two  and 
asked  to  be  remembered  with  many  kisses  and 
tender  words. 

This  cat  also  I  love  more  than  six  other  cats. 
She  asks  particularly  to  be  remembered  to  my 
brother-in-law  and  on  the  same  occasion  I  also 
add  a  few  greetings  for  Moritz.  Dear  Lotta,  you 
have  no  conception  how  very  favorably  my  wife 
was  impressed  by  your  husband.  She  also  sends 
her  greetings  to  Ludwig,  worshipful  my  nephew. 
Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 


154       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

LXIII 

PARIS,  May  8,  1847. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  thought  to  have  an  occasion  to  send  some- 
thing to  Hamburg  and  so  I  arranged  for  the  pur- 
pose a  little  chest  in  which  were  two  silk  dresses, 
a  black  gown  for  you,  and  a  violet-hued,  bright- 
colored  robe  for  my  dear  Lotta.  But  as  the  occa- 
sion did  not  turn  up  I  put  the  little  chest  into  the 
straight  postal  road  in  order  that  perchance  you 
may  get  it  by  way  of  Havre. 

Although  I  gave  orders  to  prepay  it  at  Havre 
(one  cannot  prepay  through  to  Hamburg  from 
here)  I  do  not  know  whether  that  has  been  done, 
and  perhaps,  dear  mother,  you  have  been  com- 
pelled to  pay  a  heavy  expressage.  Tell  me  if 
this  has  been  the  case.  I  and  my  wife  looked  up 
the  gowns  ourselves  and  my  wife  enjoyed  herself 
like  a  child  doing  it ;  and  she  hopes  that  Lotta  will 
agree  with  her  taste.  It  is  understood  that  in  no 
case  have  I  reckoned  on  your  agreement,  and  I 
shall  be  satisfied  if  you  do  not  scold  me  about  it ! 

We  greet  and  kiss  you  both. 

True  and  loving! 

H.  HEINE. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        155 

LXIV 

MONTMORENCY,  June  /,  1847. 

DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER: 

Your  and  Lotta's  kind  letter,  in  which  the 
reception  of  my  small  chest  is  announced,  was 
received  here  duly  at  the  proper  time,  since  for 
the  last  three  weeks  I  have  been  here  in  my  coun- 
try place  so  marvelous  fine,  where  I  enjoy  the 
pleasantest  and  most  comfortable  existence. 

A  big  garden,  almost  a  park,  where  are  tall 
trees  in  which  the  "  nightingoles,"  as  old  Nathan 
David  of  Copenhagen  used  to  say,  sing  in  most 
delightful  fashion.  And  meantime  I  do  nothing 
and  take  care  of  my  health. 

You  see  that  you  need  be  under  no  anxiety  on 
my  account.  My  wife  is  as  jolly  withal  as  a 
monkey,  brightens  the  hours  in  which  I  am  low- 
spirited,  and  indeed  conducts  herself  excellently. 
Were  it  not  for  my  eye  trouble,  which  compels 
me  to  deny  myself  all  reading,  I  would  lack  for 
nothing — unless  it  be  my  mother  and  sister;  but 
we  talk  constantly  about  you  with  the  most  pro- 
found affection. 

At  this  moment  a  ballet  by  me  is  being  re- 


156       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

hearsed  in  London  at  Her  Majesty's  Theater. 
As  it  has  already  been  paid  for  by  the  manager 
(and  with  an  enormously  big  sum)  I  shall  await 
the  result  quite  without  disquiet ;  if  it  be  a  bril- 
liant success,  as  expected,  there  springs  up  for 
me  in  England  a  new  source  of  pecuniary  help, 
the  like  of  which  till  now  I  have  never  found 
in  Germany,  and  also  not  in  France.  I  kiss 
heartily  my  dear  Lotta  and  her  children. 

My  wife,  that  charming  squanderer,  asks  to  be 
remembered  heartily  to  you  all,  and  particularly 
to  my  brother-in-law.  My  parrot  screams  at  this 
moment  as  if  he  also  wished  to  have  his  compli- 
ments forwarded  to  Hamburg. 

Your 

H.  HEINE. 

LXV 

MONTMORENCY,  June  22,  1847. 

DEAREST,  KIND,  HONEST  MOTHER  : 

I  know  not  why,  but  for  several  days  the 
thought  has  been  torturing  me  that  you  might  be 
out  of  sorts,  and  I  will  confess  that  I  would  I  had 
a  letter  from  you  ere  this  !  So  don't  let  me  wait 
long  for  news  of  you.  Since  I  have  suffered  so 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINKICH  HEINE.        157 

much  from  my  eyes,  I  write  with  nicely  whittled 
feather  nibs,  which  the  devil  fly  away  with !  for 
among  the  score  there  is  scarcely  one  that  is  good. 

My  kind  cat  asks  to  be  heartily  remembered. 
She  is  happy  to  have  a  country  place  with  so  big 
and  beautiful  a  garden  where  she  can  occupy 
herself  from  early  morn  to  late  evening  with 
watering,  gathering  fruit,  with  planting  and 
pruning ;  she  wears  a  big  brown  straw  hat  and  is 
the  most  innocent  delightfulness  in  person. 

I  kiss  my  dear  Lotta — but  write,  write,  write 
Your 

H.  HEINE. 

LXVI 

MONTMORENCY,  July  2/,  1847. 

DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

If  I  write  you  little  at  present,  that  comes 
from  the  fact  that  I  have  really  nothing  profitable 
to  impart  ;  besides.,  since  living  in  the  country  I 
have  become  so  lazy  that  I  have  a  regular  loath- 
ing for  ink  and  pen.  I  am  on  the  whole  well, 
but  my  eye  trouble  is  stubborn.  I  must  read 
almost  not  at  all ;  writing  likewise  is  not  par- 
ticularly wholesome  for  me. 


158       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE. 

This  winter  in  Paris  I  shall  procure  a  reader, 
who  can  also  serve  as  a  secretary.  If  therefore 
you  get  a  letter  from  me  some  day  which  is  not 
in  my  handwriting,  do  not  be  scared  ;  I  give  you 
warning  six  months  in  advance.  I  hope  that 
in  your  last  letter  (which  you  addressed  directly 
hither)  you  told  the  truth  and  are  really  in  good 
health.  You  have  no  idea  how  I  worry  very 
often  when  I  think  of  you.  I  go  to  Paris  rarely, 
and  live  here,  quiet  and  peaceful,  in  my  country 
state ;  I  care  for  myself  with  conscientiousness. 

A  disgracefully  bad  rain  storm  has  been  going 
for  two  days,  and  the  little  grunty  birds  are 
piping  with  my  wife.  She  loves  you  and  Lotta 
unspeakably  and  we  talk  of  you  constantly.  Her 
conduct  is  excellent  barring  a  slight  indulgence 
in  moods  and  the  worst  of  prodigality.  All  the 
same,  since  I  have  no  children  she  only  squanders 
her  own  money  after  all,  since  I  shall  leave  her 
less  at  my  death  than  I  woujd  had  she  been 
economical! 

I  greet  my  dear  Lotta  and  the  children  heartily. 
Ah,  if  to-day  I  only  had  a  little  barley  soup  such 
as  one  can  eat  at  Lotta's  house,  or  an  Auflauf 
such  as  Anna  loves  to  eat !  Farewell,  and  write 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        159 

directly  to  me    here    at    Montmorency   at  the 
given  address. 

Rain  is  falling  from  the  sky  as  if  from  buckets. 
Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

LXVII 

MONTMORENCY,  September  21,  1847. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

Your  nice  letter  of  the  third  of  the  month  was 
received  all  right  and  I  perceive  therefrom  with 
pleasure  that  you  are  well.  I  am  getting  from 
Germany  various  letters  of  good  wishes  in  which 
I  am  congratulated  on  the  complete  restoration 
of  my  health ;  what  this  refers  to  I  know  not, 
since  it  is  months  that  I  have  not  read  a  line. 

I  notify  you  to-day  that  in  three  days  I  shall 
leave  Montmorency  again  owing  to  the  approach- 
ing wet  and  frosty  season.  For  the  time  being  I 
shall  move  again  into  my  old  dwelling  (Faubourg 
Poissontire  No.  ^/),  whither  you  are  to  address 
all  your  letters.  But  about  the  beginning  of 
October  I  shall  have  a  new  house  and  will  notify 
you  just  as  soon  as  I  have  moved  in  without  mis- 
hap. What  a  bang  and  bounce  and  dingdong 


160       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

in  order  to  make  the  shreds  of  life  a  little  bear- 
able !  My  wife  asks  to  be  remembered  ;  she  is 
very  busy.  She  and  the  parrot  scold  all  the  day 
long — but  I  have  need  of  both.  My  eyes  are 
still  suffering  and  I  cannot  read.  Do  write  me 
often  and  much,  but  I  warn  you  beforehand — 
can't  write  much! 

I  greet  heartily  my  dear,  darling  Lotta,  and 
send  kisses  by  her  to  all  her  children.  My  wife 
has  solemnly  bound  me  to  send  extra  greetings 
to  my  nephew  beside  those  for  the  entire  gos- 
sipred.  For  my  brother-in-law  Moritz  likewise 
the  friendliest  greetings ! 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

LXVIII 

PARIS,  October  28,  1847. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  am  living  now  21  Rue  de  la  Victoire — that's 
the  main  thing  I  have  to  report  to  you  to-day. 

Just  think — the  twenty-first  of  last  month  I  left 
Montmorency  and  moved  into  my  old  lodgings, 
and  a  fortnight  ago  I  had  to  leave  them  again 
and  move  into  new  quarters.  So  I  have  been 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H BIN  RICH  HEINE.        161 

moving  twice  !  What  a  burden  for  my  poor 
wife !  In  the  midst  of  this  bother  my  maid- 
servant left,  and  for  ten  days  my  wife  had  to 
perform  her  work !  So  now  she  is  as  if  beaten 
to  pieces  and  in  consequence  I  am  very  woeful. 
Otherwise,  however,  things  go  nicely  with  us. 
My  eyes  are  always  in  a  suffering  state.  Your 
letter  was  duly  received  with  the  inclosure-  from 
Christiani.  His  eye  troubles  are  from  a  very  dif- 
ferent source.  This  winter  I  shall  try  something 
better. 

Farewell !  Dear  Lotta,  I  kiss  you,  and  you, 
dear  mother,  I  kiss  twice ! 

Your  obedient  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

LXIX 

PARIS,  November  6,  1847. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

Your  and  Lotta's  letter  of  the  eleventh  of  the 
month  was  duly  received,  and  with  great  sorrow 
I  find  that  you  have  been  ill  and  perhaps  are  not 
yet  restored  to  health.  The  frightfulest  thing 
in  being  separated  is  that  at  a  distance  one 
imagines  the  sufferings  of  one's  dear  ones  as 


1 62        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

much  greater  than  if  they  were  near,  where  the 
mere  sight  of  them  acts  as  a  comfort.  I  pray  you, 
dearest  mother,  to  write  me  at  once,  or  let  some- 
one write  at  once,  how  things  are  with  you — the 
strictest  truth — for  I  can  stand  everything  except 
uncertainty.  I  do  not  understand  how  my  delay 
in  writing  could  have  disquieted  you;  long  ago  I 
prepared  you  for  the  fact  that  in  this  season  all 
possible  bangs  and  bounces  fall  on  my  shoulders. 

My  new  dwelling  is  finer  but  smaller  than  the 
other ;  so  far  I  am  satisfied  with  it  (Rue  de  la 
Victoire,  21,  Ter). 

To  you,  dear  Lotta,  heartiest  thanks  for  the 
last  two  letters ;  only  do  write  me  a  great  deal, 
particularly  in  regard  to  the  family,  because  here 
I  learn  nothing.  Your  project  to  visit  me  here  de- 
lights me  ;  my  wife  also  is  beside  herself  with  joy. 

But  to-day  I  shall  write  you  little  in  this 
matter,  since  I  suffer  to-day  more  than  com- 
monly with  my  eyes.  But  I  will  write  you  next 
time  at  length  concerning  the  carrying  out  of 
your  plan.  Write  me,  dear  Lotta,  your  present 
address,  since  I  shall  probably  have  to  give  some- 
one a  letter  of  introduction  to  you  and  never 
know  the  address. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        163 

Your  husband  as  well  as  the  children  and  my  Sir 
Nephew  are  to  be  greeted  for  me.  My  wife  sends 
kisses  in  bianco.  Farewell, and  keep  me  in  affection. 

Oh,  if  only  my  old    Mausel*  were   in   good 

health  once  more ! 

H.  HEINE. 

LXX 

PARIS,  December  4,  1847. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  perceive  with  pleasure  from  your  last  letter 
that  you  are  on  the  way  to  betterment,  and  I 
hope  that  you  have  told  the  truth.  With  regard 
to  my  health,  I  am  always  suffering  with  my  eyes, 
but  in  other  respects  I  am  in  better  case  than 
usual.  Indeed  for  the  last  two  years  I  have 
not  felt  so  young  and  well  from  my  heart  as  I 
have  the  last  fortnight ;  that  comes  from  the 
draft  of  herbs  which  I  am  now  drinking  as  a  cure 
and  which,  according  to  the  assurances  of  my 
physician,  will  radically  restore  me ;  so  that  I 
look  forward  to  a  good  winter.  As  soon  as  my 
cure  is  finished  I  will  tell  you  more  about  it.  I 
have  a  pen  with  which  I  am  not  able  to  write  and, 
moreover,  cannot  cut  myself  another,  since  un- 
*  Affectionate  name  for  his  mother.— TR. 


1 64       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 


fortunately  my  house  is  not  a  very  light  one — 
the  latter  is  in  general  not  up  to  my  desires,  since, 
particularly  to-day,  I  am  always  within  sound  of 
knocking. 

Unless  I  am  mistaken  your  birthday  ought  to 
fall  somewhere  hereabout  and  I  send  you  my 
wishes  for  good  luck  with  the  heartiest  love.  As 
I  do  not  know  that  I  shall  write  to  you  before 
New  Year's,  I  am  congratulating  you  twice  over 
on  this  occasion.  What  shall  I  present  to  you  on 
Christmas  ?  A  candelabrum  of  crystal  for  your 
drawing  room,  or  a  Turkish  carpet  ?  I  saw  one 
yesterday  that  only  cost  eight  thousand  francs. 
My  wife  has  already  bought  my  Christmas  present 
(with  the  money  she  has  laid  by),  namely,  a  magnifi- 
cent night-chair,  which  is  really  so  magnificent  that 
the  goddess  Hammonia*  would  not  be  ashamed 
of  it.  I  would  not  swap  it  against  the  throne  of 
the  King  of  Prussia,  and  sit  upon  it  quiet  and  safe. 
***** 

I  kiss  my  dear  Lotta  as~well  as  the  children. 
Write  to  me  soon,  my  good,  dear  old  Mausel ! 
Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

*  Tutelary  goddess  and  patron  saint  of  Hamburg. — TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        165 

LXXI 

PARIS,  December  29,  1847. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  am  always  writing  to  you  under  the  most 
vexatious  external  hindrances,  for  in  my  house  the 
knocking  never  ceases  and  the  chimneys  smoke. 
So  I  shall  move  as  soon  as  I  can  find  a  new  house. 

My  cure  begins  to  tell  fairly,  but  my  eyes  are 
still  always  suffering  ;  wherefore  I  am  able  to 
write  but  little.  Wiesbaden  can  do  me  no  good. 
Christiani's  recovery  there  is  a  special  matter  of 
its  own.  Christiani  gambled  at  Wiesbaden,  and 
when  he  had  gambled  away  all  his  money  there 
— suddenly  his  eyes  were  opened  ! ! 

My  kind  wife  asks  to  congratulate  you  and  my 
dear  sister  on  the  new  year.  We  wish  happiness 
and  blessing  to  you  ! 

Do  write  to  me  soon ;  I  am  very  sorrowful 
when  I  remain  a  few  weeks  without  a  letter  from 
you  two !  The  old  departing  year  was  a  vile 
one  !  The  devil  take  it ! 

Write,  write  !     Soon,  soon  ! 

Your  obedient  son, 

H.  HEINE. 


1 66       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

LXXII 

PARIS,  January  19,  1848. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

Your  last  letter  containing  good  wishes  for  the 
new  year  was  duly  received  and  I  hope  that 
the  report  of  your  good  health  is  the  truth.  So 
far  as  I  am  concerned  I  find  myself  better  than 
usual,  very  much  better,  and  though  the  cure 
does  not  work  so  quickly  on  my  eyes  as  I  could 
wish,  yet  it  has  already  relieved  me  of  several 
troubles,  such  as  pains  in  the  lower  stomach, 
headache,and  the  like.  In  a  few  days  I  must  move 
out  again  ;  my  infamous  landlord  has  quartered 
his  horses  under  my  sleeping  chamber  contrary 
to  right  and  compact,  and  these  stamp  the  whole 
night  through  and  rob  me  of  my  sleep.  I  pass 
the  whole  day  outside  the  house  on  account  of 
the  banging.  I  write  in  a  hurry  before  going  out, 
and  it  is  still  dark  at  nine  o'clock.  My  poor 
wife  was  very  sick  yesterday.  What  I  must 
bear  with ! 

Just  now  my  wife  had  me  called  ;  she  has 
passed  a  good  night  and  I  hope  she  will  soon 
feel  her  wings  again.  Yesterday  she  had  an 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        167 

attack  of  the  nerves,  and  she  bit  through  with 
her  teeth  in  a  cramp-like  way  the  glass  of 
water  which  was  held  to  her  lips  for  refreshment ; 
they  had  to  tear  the  bits  of  glass  out  of  her 
mouth  !  Imagine  my  terror !  I  trust  that  no 
splinter  has  been  left.  Nothing  but  scares  and 
unpleasantnesses !  What  I  bear  with !  Often 
human  life  hangs  on  a  single  thread  ! 

In  the  English  papers  they  have  got  me  dead 
again  and  regret  very  much  my  early  demise. 
In  the  German  papers  I  am  at  least  three-quar- 
ters dead.  I  am  used  to  this  sort  of  thing  now. 

I  kiss  you,  dear  Lotta,  and  beg  that  you  will 
write   me  a  good   deal,    especially    about    dear 
mother.     As  soon  as  I  move  into  the  new  house 
I  will  notify  you  of  the  new  address. 
Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

LXXIII 

PARIS,  January  27,  1848. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  only  want  to  tell  you  hurriedly  that  in  a  few 
days  I  shall  move  into  my  new  house  and  that 
my  address  is  Rue  de  Berlin,  No.  9,  &  Paris. 


1 68       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Write  me  therefore  soon.  My  dear  wife  is  quite 
restored  again  and  scolds  as  much  as  ever.  We 
live  very  peacefully  for  the  most  part,  but  she 
worries  me  in  small  matters.  Particularly  I  have 
to  support  a  great  deal  from  her  love  of  cleanli- 
ness, and  then  she  reminds  me  not  seldom  of 
squinting  Nan,  who  drove  me  to  madness  with 
her  schrubben. 

I  expect  a  big  letter  from  you,  dear  Lotta,  and 
meantime  I  kiss  you  and  the  chicks.  I  still  find 
that  I  am  well  ;  but  my  original  cure  has  been 
neutralized  by  the  scare  and  the  constant  noise 
in  the  house. 

I  love  you  unspeakably,  my  dear,  good  mother  ! 

H.  HEINE. 

Heine  concealed  from  his  old  mother  the  true 
facts  of  his  health,  excusing  the  illegible  writing 
by  bad  pens,  and  described  his  severe  sufferings 
as  a  temporary  indisposition.  The  miraculous 
draft  of  Dr.  Sichel  did  not  have  the  promised  ac- 
tion, and  just  as  little  did  the  water  cure  of  Dr. 
Wertheim. 

Heine  now  took  for  his  physician  Dr.  Gruby,  a 
Hungarian,  and  at  his  suggestion  entered  the 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        169 

private  hospital  of  his  friend  Faultrier.  Fright- 
ful cramps,  beginning  at  the  head  and  raging 
through  the  whole  body  down  to  the  feet,  made 
large  doses  of  morphia  necessary  in  order  to  ob- 
tain a  merely  passing  alleviation.  In  the  midst  of 
these  violent  sufferings  the  February  Revolution 
suddenly  broke  out.  Heine,  no  less  surprised 
than  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  said  concerning  the 
fall  of  Louis  Philippe  :  "  Luck  in  war  is  rare  with 
old  people  ;  Louis  Philippe  skedaddled  in  the 
first  confusion  of  the  battle,  and  so  we  found  our- 
selves in  the  Republic,  without  knowing  what 
had  happened  to  us." 

Heine  stayed  at  his  friend  Faultrier's  place 
till  the  end  of  March,  and  then  in  May,  somewhat 
strengthened,  moved  into  a  country  place  at 
Passy. 

LXXIV 

PARIS,  March  30,  1848. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

Just  because  it  is  so  stormy  in  the  world  and 
things  are  particularly  turbulent  here,  I  can  write 
you  but  little.  The  row  has  reduced  me  very 
much,  physically  and  morally.  I  am  discouraged 


17°       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

as  never  before.  Want  to  live  quite  still  now 
and  bother  my  head  about  nothing  more.  Right 
in  the  midst  of  the  crisis  of  my  cure  the  hubbub 
began  and  I  have  paid  not  only  in  money  but 
also  in  health.  Should  matters  turn  still  more 
gloomy,  as  I  fear,  I  shall  depart  with  my  wife,  or 
else  alone.  Am  very  grumpy.  In  Germany  too 
it  must  not  be  very  agreeable,  and  thither  I  have 
no  great  longing  either.  My  wife  is  well.  We 
live  quietly  and  apart  from  the  world.  In  no 
circumstances  shall  I  put  myself  forward.  Not- 
withstanding, I  am  much  slandered  by  the  Ger- 
mans here.  They  are  screaming  because  I 
accepted  money  from  the  fallen  government, 
since  my  name  is  on  the  list  of  pensioners. 

The  weather  is  marvelous  fine  and  I  walk  a 
great  deal.  My  household  goes  along  in  its  quiet 
jog  trot.  My  wife  conducts  herself  well.  If  she 
did  not  conduct  herself  well,  I  would  give  her 
her  freedom  now,  as  all  the  kings  now  give  their 
peoples  liberty  ;  then  she  would  soon  see  what  is 
the  upshot  of  freedom  !  * 

You  have  no  idea  what  miser e  prevails  here  now. 

*  For  a  charming  little  poem  on  his  wife,  see  vol.  iii.  p.  267. — 
TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.     17 J 

The  whole  world  is  becoming  free  and  bankrupt. 
Farewell ! 

Do  write  me  a  great  deal,  dear  mother.  And 
you  too,  dear  Lotta.  But  don't  reckon  on  news 
from  me  ;  I  take  up  the  pen  only  too  unwill- 
ingly. Am  afraid  of  writing.  In  order  to  make 
my  address  still  more  distinct,  write  down :  To 
H.  Heine  chez  Mr.  Faultrier,  84  Rue  de  Lourcine, 
&  Paris.  I  have  all  my  letters  addressed  in  that 
way  now,  because  I  do  not  trust  my  house  porter. 
Did  the  family  lose  much  money?  Do  write 
me  a  good  deal,  dear  Lotta,  and  kiss  the  children. 
My  wife  sends  hearty  greetings. 

H.  HEINE. 

The  February  Revolution  at  first  enlivened 
Heine  with  a  new  enthusiasm  of  youth,  and  he 
moaned  :  "  What  a  piece  of  bad  luck  to  witness 
such  a  revolution  in  my  condition !  I  ought  to 
have  been  dead,  or  else  well."  His  report  of  the 
three  great  February  days  to  the  Allgemeine 
Zeitung  began :  "  My  head  was  as  if  stunned — 
endless  drumming,  shooting  and  Marseillaise ! 
The  last,  that  unceasing  song,  almost  split  my 
brain,  and  alas!  a  mob  of  thoughts  most  perilous 


1?2       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

to  governments,  which  I  had  held  imprisoned 
there  for  years,  broke  their  way  again  to  light !  " 

But  from  his  letters  to  his  mother  alone  one 
can  see  that  the  revolutionary  chaos  which 
aggravated  the  poet's  nervous  trouble  soon  occa- 
sioned a  reaction  from  his  happy  feelings;  and 
this  disgust  increased  when  the  Allgemeine 
Zeitung,  referring  to  an  article  in  the  French 
journal  Revue  Retrospective',  cast  a  bad  light  on 
Heine's  view  of  the  situation. 

Publications  from  the  archives  of  the  last 
government  under  the  ministry  of  Guizot  showed 
that  several  persons  enjoyed  pensions  from  the 
fallen  government,  and  among  them  Heine  too, 
and  from  the  same  budget  which  afforded  sup- 
port to  Gustavson  the  ex-King  of  Sweden, 
Prince  Godoy,  the  famous  historian  Augustin 
Thierry  and  many  political  refugees  and  artists  ; 
among  Germans  to  Dr.  Weil,  editor  of  the  Stutt- 
garter  Zeitung,  Schmieder,  counsel  to  the  lega- 
tion and  to  Baron  von  Klindworth. 

Quite  lately  the  accusations  made  at  that 
time  have  been  repeated  ;  they  were  charges 
which  Heine  met  by  a  public  statement  in  the 
Allgemeine  Zeitung  of  Augsburg.  As  this  is 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        173 

not  known  to  everyone  it  is  given  at  full  length 
here. 

EXPLANATION. 

"  For  some  little  time  the  Revue  Retrospective 
has  been  amusing  itself  with  the  publication  of 
papers  from  the  archives  of  the  late  government 
and  among  others  it  has  also  made  public  the 
accounts  of  the  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs 
during  the  leadership  of  Guizot. 

"  The  fact  that  the  name  of  the  undersigned 
was  given  together  with  a  certain  sum  of  money 
opened  a  wide  field  for  suspicions  of  the  most 
hateful  kind,  and  a  malicious  putting  of  two 
and  two  together,  for  which  there  was  no  warrant 
in  the  Revue  Retrospective.  This  has  served  a 
correspondent  of  the  Allgemeine  Zeitung  the 
foolish  purpose  of  an  accusation  which,  without 
beating  about  the  bush,  points  to  this:  that 
Guizot's  Ministry  had  bought  my  pen  for  cer- 
tain sums  of  money  in  order  to  defend  the 
measures  of  its  government.  The  editors  of  the 
Allgemeine  Zeitung  accompany  this  correspond- 
ence with  a  note  in  which  the  opinion  is 
uttered  that  I  may  have  received  that  subsidy 


174       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

not  so  much  for  what  I  wrote  as  for  that  which 
I  did  not  write. 

"The  editors  of  the  Allgemeine  Zeitung,  who 
for  twenty  years  have  had  abundant  occasion  to 
remark  (not  so  much  through  that  part  of  my 
writings  which  they  printed  as,  far  more,  by  that 
which  they  declined  to  print)  that  I  am  not  a 
servile  writer  who  would  allow  his  silence  to  be 
bought — the  said  editors  at  any  rate  might  have 
spared  me  that  levis  nota.  I  do  not  offer  these 
lines  in  answer  to  the  article  of  the  correspond- 
ent, but  to  the  editorial  note,  and  will  explain  as 
distinctly  as  possible  my  relations  to  the  minis- 
try of  Guizot.  Higher  interests  determine  me  to 
take  this  step — not  the  little  matter  of  my  per- 
sonal safety,  not  even  the  question  of  honor. 
My  honor  is  not  in  the  keeping  of  the  next  best 
newspaper  correspondent  ;  nor  is  the  next  best 
daily  journal  the  court  for  it :  I  can  be  judged 
only  before  the  assizes  of  the  history  of  literature. 
Besides,  I  cannot  admit  that  generosity  shall  be 
interpreted  as  fear  and  reviled  as  such. 

"  No  ;  the  support  which  I  received  from  the 
Guizot  administration  was  no  tribute ;  it  was 
merely  a  support ;  it  was — I  am  calling  things 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        1-75 

by  their  right  names — the  splendid  alms  which 
the  French  people  have  distributed  to  so  many 
thousands  of  strangers  who  through  their  zeal  for 
the  cause  of  Revolution  have  been  more  or  less 
gloriously  compromised  in  their  own  homes  and 
have  sought  an  asylum  at  the  hospitable  hearth  of 
France.  I  accepted  such  support  in  money  soon 
after  the  time  when  those  regrettable  decrees 
of  the  Bundestag  appeared  which  sought  to  ruin 
me  financially  as  the  leader  of  the  band  of  so- 
called  Young  Germany,  decrees  which  laid  under 
ban  not  only  my  existing  writings  but  in 
advance  all  other  writings  which  might  come 
later  from  my  pen,  aiming  by  this  means  to 
rob  me  without  right  or  verdict  of  the  means  of 
existence.  The  reason  that  the  payment  of  the 
assistance  in  money  was  assigned  to  the  budget 
of  the  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs  and  moreover 
to  the  fund  for  pensions,  which  is  not  sub- 
mitted to  public  examination,  lay  chiefly  in  this, 
that  at  the  moment  the  other  budgets  were  too 
heavily  laden.  Perhaps,  too,  the  French  Govern- 
ment did  not  wish  to  support  publicly  a  man 
who  was  always  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  the  Ger- 
man legations  and  whose  banishment  had  been 


1 76       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

demanded  on  many  occasions.  It  is  widely 
known  how  urgently  my  most  royal  and  Prussian 
friends  enlightened  the  French  Government 
with  such  claims.  But  Mr.  Guizot  refused  stiff- 
neckedly  my  banishment  and  paid  me  my  pen- 
sion every  month,  regularly,  without  an  omission. 
Never  did  he  demand  from  me  the  slightest 
service  in  return  !  When  I  waited  upon  him 
soon  after  he  had  taken  the  portfolio  of  Foreign 
Affairs,  and  thanked  him  for  having  notified  me 
of  the  continuance  of  my  pension  notwithstanding 
the  Radical  complexion  of  my  views,  he  answered 
me  with  a  kindly  melancholy:  'I  am  not  a 
person  to  refuse  a  German  poet  who  lives  in 
exile  a  bit  of  bread.'  These  words  were  said 
to  me  by  Mr.  Guizot  in  November  1840,  and  this 
was  the  first  and  last  time  in  my  life  that  I  had 
the  honor  of  speaking  to  him. 

"  I  have  given  the  editors  of  the  Revue  Retro- 
spective the  proofs  which  establish  the  truth  of  the 
above  explanations,  and  they  can  now,  as  French 
loyaute"  demands,  speak  their  minds  from  the  au- 
thentic sources  which  are  open  to  them  as  to  the 
meaning  and  origin  of  the  pension  in  question. 

"  H.  HEINE. 

L   "PARIS,  May  15,  1848." 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        1 77 

LXXV 

PASSY,  May  27,  1848. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

For  the  last  three  days  I  have  been  living  at 
Passy  in  a  house  with  garden  ;  the  place  is  dis- 
tant half  an  hour  from  Paris.  I  do  not  know 
whether  I  have  hit  it  off  rightly  with  this  dwell- 
ing,  and  whether  new  disturbances  will  not  em- 
bitter my  life  here.  Up  to  the  present,  bad  luck 
has  always  followed  me  with  every  change  of 
dwelling.  For  the  moment,  things  go  fairly  with 
me.  I  write  you  these  lines  in  the  open  air, 
under  a  green  arbor,  where  the  sunshine  plays 
on  my  paper — a  very  pretty  effect,  but  it  bothers 
me  a  good  deal  in  writing.  My  eye  trouble,  and 
in  general  the  paralysis  of  the  muscles  of  my 
face,  are  momentarily  in  their  most  insufferable 
bloom,  and  for  that  reason  my  poor  wife  has  to 
bear  a  good  deal  from  my  grumpiness.  Yet  just 
now  we  have  breakfasted  together  at  the  same 
table  on  which  I  am  now  writing,  and  we  have 
been  enjoying  greatly  our  domestic  quiet — as 
well  as  fine  asparagus  and  strawberries  ! 

How  are  things  with  you  ?     How  does  dear 


178       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

Lotta  get  on  these  terrible  times  ?  Are  you 
sure  you  have  enough  sugar  so  that  the  straw- 
berries can  lie  comfortably  and  be  warmly  tucked 
in? 

This  year  is  no  saccharine  one,  and  the  whole 
world  finds  a  bitter  taste  in  the  mouth. 

I  take  no  bother  for  anything,  and  my  disease 
itself  perhaps  protects  me  at  this  moment  from 
fatal  dangers  to  which  I  might  have  been  ex- 
posed had  I  been  able  to  plunge  into  the  daily 
battles — crazed  and  well ! 

I  have  a  letter  from  Gustav  and  his  wife  ; 
he  asserts  that  he  is  a  happy  father  of  a  family 
and  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  greatest  domestic 

bliss. 

*  *  *  *  * 

My  address  now  is  64  grande  Rue  h  Passy, 
firh  de  Paris.  Write  me  soon  and  much.  I 
end  here  and  kiss  you  both,  as  well  as  the 
children. 

At  this  moment  the  rays  of  sunlight  dazzle 
me  too  much.  The  parrot  is  screaming  and  my 
wife  sends  regards. 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 


FAMILY  LIFE    OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        179 

LXXVI 

PASSY,  June  10,  1848. 
DEAREST  SISTER: 

My  wife  desires  that  I  should  not  keep  you 
any  longer  in  a  state  of  too  great  deception 
regarding  the  facts  of  my  health,  a  deception 
which  was  necessary  owing  to  mother ;  so  that  if 
I  die  you  should  not  be  too  much  horrified.  But 
that  extreme,  dear  child,  will  not  occur  so  very 
soon,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  and  I  can  still  drag  my- 
self through  life  for  a  dozen  years  more  just  as  I 
am — God's  pity!  Have  been  so  lame  for  a  fort- 
night that  I  have  to  be  carried  like  a  child ;  my 
legs  are  like  cotton.  My  eyes  horribly  bad. 
Internally,  however,  I  am  well,  and  brain  and 
stomach  are  sound.  Am  well  cared  for  and  have 
lack  of  nothing  to  meet  the  great  expenses  of 
sickness;  .  .  . 

My  wife  conducts  herself  admirably,  and  we 
live  very  pleasantly.  If  I  die  in  this  condition, 
my  end  will  be  still  far  better  than  that  of  a 
thousand  other  people.  Now  you  know  where 
you  stand. 

Gladly  would  I  have  visited  you  this  summer; 


I  So       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

perhaps  I  shall  see  you  the  coming  spring,  or 
perhaps  you  will  be  coming  hither  next  year. 
This  year  I  am  at  bottom  glad  not  to  be  able  to 
see  you  here,  on  account  of  the  rumblings  of  the 
world's  revolution  which  you  must  have  to  bear 
quite  as  much  as  we  do  here.  Yes,  we  live  in  a 
wretched  period,  and  I  want  to  enjoy  a  sight  of 
you  again  while  I  am  gay  and  well — not  just  for 
a  few  sickly  moments.  But  shall  I  ever  be 
better?  God,  who  guides  all  things  for  the  best, 
alone  knows  that.  Write  me  often  and  at  length 
how  everything  is  in  the  family.  Now  as  earlier 
let  us  conceal  my  sickness  from  mother, 
***** 

Shadowy  kisses,  shadowy  passion, 

Lives  of  shadow  passing  strange ! 

Deem  you,  sister,  things  their  fashion 

True  shall  keep  with  never  a  change? 

Things  we  kept  in  warm  affection, 
Like  to  dream  shapes  off  they  sweep. 
Hearts  forget  each  predilection 
And  our  eyelids  close  in  sleep.* 

H.  HEINE. 

Quiet  was  necessary  in  Heine's  nervous  con- 
dition, for  the  noisy  life  of  Paris,  where  crowds 

*  See  vol.  ii.  p.  32.    The  words  are  the  same  except  that  Schives- 
ter  has  been  substituted  for  Narrin,—  TR. 


CHARLOTTE    EMBUEN,  HEINE'S    ONLY    SISTER. 


FAMILY  LtFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        181 

of  people  marched  about  the  streets  singing  and 
making  a  row,  put  him  in  a  fever  of  excitement 
and  made  living  in  the  city  unbearable.  He 
moved  into  a  country  house  in  a  retired  quiet 
neighborhood  and  with  a  good  air,  hoping  there- 
by to  obtain  some  alleviation  of  his  sufferings. 
Unfortunately  this  effect  was  not  obtained,  and 
the  poet's  health,  instead  of  being  improved  in 
Passy,  was  rather  worsened.  He  wrote  in  this 
connection  : 

LXXVII 

PASSY,  August  12,  1848. 
DEAREST  SISTER: 

The  condition  of  my  eyes  is  so  indifferent  that 
I  purchase  each  letter  which  I  write  with  my 
own  hand  at  the  cost  of  the  most  violent  pains, 
and  since  you  would  surely  not  wish  to  have  a 
letter  at  such  a  price,  I  shall  to-day  and  here- 
after make  use  of  a  strange  pen  in  order  to  im- 
part to  you  news  of  my  health.  It  has  not  in 
any  way  improved,  but  there  is  no  danger  pres- 
ent, and  the  sad  thing  about  it  is  just  this,  that  I 
stick  to  life.  So  you  need  not  be  anxious,  but  I 
do  deserve  pity  in  the  highest  degree. 


182       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H  El N RICH  HEINE. 

I  am  often  martyred  by  the  most  horrible 
cramps,  and  at  the  same  time  have  to  sit  like  a  man 
in  chains.  For  two  months  I  have  entirely  lost  the 
use  of  my  feet  and  legs  and  have  to  be  rolled  to 
and  fro  on  a  chair.  I  have  become  a  miserable 
paralytic  who  would  be  a  great  burden  to  you  if 
I  were  with  you.  Still,  I  support  myself  with 
the  idea  of  coming  to  visit  you  next  year,  and 
meantime  we  have  leisure  to  arrange  everything 
with  regard  to  my  comfort.  It  is  not  possible 
this  year ;  I  have  a  thousand  things  to  put  in 
order  here,  since  the  revolution  and  my  sudden 
mishap  of  paralysis  have  thrown  all  my  worldly 
affairs  into  the  most  complete  confusion.  I  hope 
things  will  get  on  better,  and  meantime  I  bear 
my  fate  with  patience.  My  wife  loses  her  head 
and  acts  often  as  if  crazed. 

I  have  not  yet  written  to  Max,  but  shall 
soon.  Greet  your  husband  for  me  and  kiss 
for  me  my  dear  nieces.  To  Ludwig  my 
hearty  greeting,  and  thanks  for  his  loving 
sympathy. 

Your  most  affectionate  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        183 

LXXVIII 

PARIS,  September  11,  1848= 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHERLET: 

For  five  weeks  these  are  the  first  lines  I  have 
written  with  my  own  hand.  For  the  sake  of  my 
eyes  I  avoid  this  entirely,  and  you  too  must 
presently  be  content  if  I  write  you  through  my 
secretary.  I  suffer  so  much  at  each  letter  that 
on  the  whole  you  should  be  glad  that  I  do  not 
put  myself  to  such  painful  expense  on  your 
account.  I  wrote  you  long  ago  that  my  right 
arm  also  suffers  from  such  cramps  as  are  the 
forerunners  of  paralysis. 

Otherwise  things  are  as  usual;  money, 
cowardly  money,  which  crept  away  in  fear  of  the 
Republic,  creeps  out  again  into  daylight.  I  go 
to  the  city  not  at  all,  and  take  no  account  of  any- 
thing but  my  health.  I  hope  that  you  and 
Lotta,  as  well  as  the  dear  children,  are  in  good 
health !  We  love  you  inexpressibly.  I  shall 
stay  here  four  weeks  longer;  the  weather  is 
beautiful. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 


1 84       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

LXXIX 

PARTS,  October  19,  1848. 
DEAR  MOTHER  AND  DEAREST  SISTER  : 

Just  now  I  received  your  letter,  in  which  I  note 
with  delight  your  good  health.  As  to  myself, 
my  condition  is  always  the  same,  or  else  only  a 
very  little  better.  My  cramps  have  let  up  a  little, 
but  my  eyes  are  ridiculously  bad,  although  I 
spare  them  in  a  way  hard  to  describe,  never  read, 
and  do  not  write  with  my  own  hand  even  to  you. 
But  letters,  dear  Lotta,  I  always  read  with  my 
own  eyes,  a  thing  which  I  state  to  you  particu- 
larly because  of  your  questions.  As  regards  the 
cholera,  you  need  also  not  worry  yourselves  at  all 
in  my  regard ;  this  ancient  beast  is  moreover 
not  so  much  to  be  feared  as  formerly.  Matters 
are  more  terrible  in  Vienna,  and  our  poor  Gustav 
may  well  have  suffered  some  anxiety. 

Write  me  how  it  has  happened  with  him.  I  do 
not  correspond  directly  with  him.  My  wife  is  in 
good  health,  and  asks  to  be  warmly  remembered 
to  you  all.  We  talk  all  the  time  of  you  all,  and 
particularly  concerning  mother  we  can  never  say 
enough  that  is  pleasant  and  agreeable.  The 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H  El N RICH  HEINE.        185 

main  thing  that  I  have  to  report  to  you  to-day  is 
that  I  am  still  very  content  with  my  new  house, 
and  in  nowise  rue  the  sacrifice  which  I  made  for 
the  change.  We  live  quietly,  retired  and  safe 
from  bullets.  Greet  and  kiss  for  me  the  youth- 
ful gossipry  and  remain  affectionately  attached 
To  your  true 

H.  HEINE. 
LXXX 

PARIS,  December  28,  1848. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

Although  writing  is  forbidden  me,  I  cannot 
help  congratulating  you  at  the  new  year  with  my 
own  hand.  God  keep  you  and  grant  you  still 
many  and  happy  years.  I  also  congratulate  you, 
dear  Lotta.  A  New  Year's  cake  such  as  we  ate 
in  Diisseldorf  in  the  morning  with  our  coffee, 
which  latter  was  composed  of  three  beans  and 
three  pounds  of  chicory  !  No  thought  of  sugar ! 
Do  you  still  recall  the  old  coffeepot  that  looked 
like  a  flowerpot  or  a  Roman  vase  ?  Was  made  of 
very  beautiful  black  tin. 

Farewell,  and  keep  in  affection 

Your  trusty 

H.  HEINE. 


1 86       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

LXXXI 

PARIS,  March  29,  1849. 
DEAR  LOTTA:* 

Your  letter  has  shaken  my  nerves  grievously 
and  since  then  I  have  been  crying  and  crying 
until  to-day  I  can  hardly  see  at  all.  Only  one 
word  of  comfort :  dying  is  no  ill  luck,  but  this  is — 
to  suffer  for  years  before  one  can  reach  the  point 
of  dying.  Suffering  year  after  year!  happy  are 
they  who  get  through  with  it  quickly — per  acquit 
as  our  little  father  used  to  say — and  one  turns 
round  and  goes  to  sleep  and  everything  is  paid  for ! 

I  am  at  this  moment  too  much  in  pain  to  con- 
dole with  your  husband  particularly  ;  silently  I 
press  his  hand.  And  you,  poor,  strong  heart, 
how  much  have  you  had  to  bear!  God  preserve 
you,  my  dear,  kind  sister! 

You,  my  dearest  mother,  will  have  to  wait  some 
time  for  a  letter  from  me,  and  to-day  I  can  only 
hastily  embrace  you. 

Kiss  my  Lotta  and  the  children  for  me.  My 
wife  is  well.  I  am  still  in  the  same  wretched  state. 

Your  trusty 

H.  HEINE. 

*  On  the  death  of  her  youngest  daughter. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        187 

LXXXII 

PARIS,  April  21,  1849. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  have  hoped  from  day  to  day  to  feel  better 
and  am  very  much  annoyed  that  I  have  nothing 
pleasant  to  report  concerning  my  state  of  health. 
My  eyes  seem  to  grow  better,  but  now  I  am 
suffering  again  from  cramps  in  the  right  arm  and 
in  the  same  hand,  which  further  spoils  my  writing 
terribly.  My  wife  asks  to  be  heartily  remem- 
bered. The  call  to  her  final  home  of  my  poor 
niece  has  saddened  us  inexpressibly  and  I,  who 
am  now  so  easily  upset,  have  become  sick  for 
eight  days  in  consequence  of  the  news — a  sick- 
ness within  a  sickness !  What  people  can  sup- 
port !  And  how  you  must  have  suffered  then, 
and  must  still  suffer !  God  keep  you  and  my 
Lotta.  I  hope  that  you  are  in  good  health  ;  tell 
me  the  truth. 

Farewell,  and  keep  in  affection 

Your  trusty 

H.  HEINE. 


lS8       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

LXXXIII 

PARIS,  June  14,  1849. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  entreat  you  to  write  me  soon.  I  cannot 
imagine  why  I  am  so  long  without  a  letter  from 
you.  Here  we  are,  living  in  anxiety  and 
wretchedness.  The  cholera  is  raging  frightfully. 
People  are  falling  like  flies.  My  wife  is  sick  too, 
and  I  have  almost  lost  my  head.  I  myself  am 
still  as  sick  as  a  dog,  but  the  cholera  spares  all 
the  chronic  sick,  probably  because  they  always 
live  in  a  regular  way.  Kiss  Lotta  and  the  chil- 
dren for  me.  My  wife  asks  to  be  heartily  remem- 
bered. I  hope  that  you  are  well.  Sickness  is 
the  worst  of  wretchedness  ;  death  is  the  slightest 
and  most  easily  borne. 

Your  everlastingly  loving,  trusty  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

LXXXIV 

PARIS,  August  7,  1849. 
DEAR,  GOOD  SISTER  : 

Your  last  letter  has  saddened  me  greatly  ;  I 
can  well  imagine  how  much  you  might  have  suf- 
fered from  the  agitation  in  Hamburg  because  of 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE.        189 

the  lay  of  your  house.  I  fear  you  are  oftener  con- 
fined to  your  bed  than  I  know  ;  I  pray  you  tell  me 
the  truth.  We  live  in  a  period  when  people  have 
nothing  much  that  is  pleasant  to  report,  and  com- 
fort  can  only  be  extracted  from  the  certainty  that 
the  unhappiness  is  as  great  as  we  know,  so  that 
imagination  does  not  worry  us  with  uncertainty. 

I  am  getting  on  as  usual,  my  eyes  suffering 
terribly,  and  I  am  consumed  with  sorrow  and  the 
feeling  of  utter  helplessness.  For  that  reason  I 
write  you  seldom  and  but  little  ;  but  I  think  of 
you  almost  all  the  time,  and  no  night  passes  that 
I  do  not  make  an  offering  of  tears  to  you. 

Things  are  as  usual  with  my  wife — an  angel 
who  often  has  devilish  whims,  and  the  sweetest 
squanderer  who  ever  in  this  world  tortured  and 
made  her  husband  happy. 

I  kiss  my  dear  Lotta  a  thousand  times. 

Your  trusty  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

LXXXV 

PARIS,  August  19,  1849. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHERKIN  : 

I  see  with  terror  in  the  papers  how  desolate 
the  outlook  is  with  you  and  how  my  friends  in 


190       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Prussia  are  carrying  on.  Were  I  there,  they 
would  certainly  nab  me  on  this  occasion.  Every- 
thing is  quiet  with  us,  even  in  my  household. 
My  wife,  thank  God,  is  of  good  health  and  tries 
to  gladden  as  much  as  possible  my  wretched 
existence.  She  is  a  kindly  child  and  if  she  gives 
me  pain  it  is  not  her  fault  but  her  disease.  God 
keep  her,  as  well  as  all  of  you  ;  kisses  and  greet- 
ings to  dear  sister  and  the  children. 

You,  dear  mother,  were  always  an  honest,  God- 
fearing woman,  of  true  piety,  and  for  your  sake 
God  who  is  good  will  always  stand  us  by. 
Your  trusty  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

LXXXVI 

PARIS,  October  24,  1849. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

Just  now  I  have  your  dear  letter  ;  if  you  knew 
how  unwillingly  I  wrote  you  would  not  demand 
a  letter  from  me  often.  In  the  first  place  I  am 
seeing  very  ill  for  the  last  few  days  and  then  I 
have  really  nothing  very  fascinating  to  impart. 
May  the  devil  fly  away  with  my  eyes !  all  the 
quackery  helps  me  little.  Only  to  you,  dear 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        191 

mother,  do  I  write  with  my  own  hand  ;  in  your 
case  dictation  won't  do,  since  in  spite  of  all 
some  intimate  things  will  slip  out. 

I  congratulate  you  on  your  little  Viennese 
nephew ;  thank  God  that  from  this  fertility  I  can 
at  least  perceive  that  Gustav  is  in  good  health. 
Moreover,  I  see  that  he  is  not  deceiving  his 
wife! 

To-day  I  can  see  nothing.  That's  why  I  shall 
write  you  one  of  these  days,  and  you  get  these 
lines  only  in  order  to  judge  of  my  good  health 
from  them. 

Kisses  for  Lotta. 

Your  trusty  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

Dictation  was  extremely  uncomfortable  to 
Heine,  and  it  took  a  long  while  before  he  accus- 
tomed himself  to  it.  He  said  in  this  regard  : 
"  Heretofore  I  always  wrote  everything  myself 
and  believe  that,  especially  as  regards  German,  it 
is  a  poor  affair  to  dictate  prose.  The  author  has 
to  consider  carefully  not  only  the  stress  of  tone 
but  also  the  architectural  structure  of  his  periods. 
Our  language  is  also  arranged  for  the  eye  ;  it  is 


I92        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

plastic,  and  in  rhyming  not  only  the  sound  but  the 
spelling  makes  a  difference.  Singularly  enough, 
the  difference  which  exists  in  this  respect  between 
German  and  French  expresses  itself  even  in  the 
verbal  definition  of  the  matter.  Germans  call 
their  understanding  of  a  thing  Einsicht,  but 
Frenchmen  entendement.  The  German,  accord- 
ing to  my  opinion,  must  see  before  him  in 
plastic  form  what  he  creates  in  speech.  One 
can  dictate  verses  made  in  the  head  more  easily 
than  prose;  and  I  could  not  do  that  either; 
even  then  I  would  have  to  change  a  great  deal." 
Heine  wrote  his  manuscript  on  great  folio  sheets 
in  big  letters  with  a  pencil,  as  soon  as  his  health 
permitted,  and  only  dictated  his  letters. 


LXXXVII 

PARIS,  January  21,  1850. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  received  all  right  your  and  dear  Lotta's 
letter  with  wishes  for  the  New  Year.  I  hope 
you  have  entered  on  this  year  in  pleasant 
fashion.  May  Heaven  permit  it  to  end  quietly 
and  without  a  scare.  In  my  case  the  year  has 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        193 

not  taken  on  any  character  yet  ;  it  drones  along, 
idiotic  and  melancholy  like  the  last. 

Not  the  slightest  change  in  my  state  of  health  ; 
I  spare  my  eyes  always,  but  without  result. 
If  I  did  not  spare  them  even  as  the  apple  of 
my  eye,  I  would  be  blind  now,  which  is  of 
course  the  greatest  evil  from  which  may  a  good 
God  preserve  one.  For  that  reason  I  still  do  not 
write  you  by  my  own  hand,  but  that  makes  no 
great  difference,  since  I  never  express  thoughts 
any  more  in  letters. 

My  wife  is  still  suffering  from  the  results  of  her 
silliness  ;  she  cannot  walk  yet,  but  begins  to  hop 
about  the  room  now  on  one  leg  like  a  frog.  She 
asks  to  be  remembered  with  the  most  heartfelt 
tenderness,  but  in  general  you  are  our  staple 
of  conversation.  My  wife  bears  her  mishap  with 
less  impatience  than  I  expected  ;  she  makes  up 
for  the  bad  moments  when  her  temper  is  ugly 
by  such  an  amount  of  infinite  sweetness  at  other 
times  that  I  can  always  find  my  accounts  in  this 
business  on  the  right  side.  I  pray  you  to  write  me 
soon,  and  from  you  too  I  expect  a  long  letter 
concerning  yourself  and  the  darlings — the  entire 
holy  family  ! 


194       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

I  hope  you  are  entirely  restored  from  your  mis- 
hap. That  domestic  jester,  von  Wihl,  visits  me 
occasionally  and  never  fails  to  amuse  me  in  one 
way  or  another.  To  be  sure,  one  must  be  on  one's 
guard  with  him  ;  but,  to  be  sure,  who  is  the  per- 
son with  whom  one  must  not  be  on  one's  guard? 

Concerning  the  nonsense  in  German  news- 
papers on  my  so-called  conversion  I  will  not  say 
anything.  In  this  case  it  is  the  same  thing  as  in 
all  the  news  in  the  papers  about  me. 

And  now,  dear  mother,  farewell.  May 
gracious  God  preserve  you,  keep  you  from  pain 
and  eye  trouble,  spare  your  dear  health,  and 
though  things  often  do  not  go  as  you  would  like, 
yet  comfort  yourself  with  the  thought  that  few 
women  have  been  loved  and  worshiped  by 
their  children  as  you  have  and  as  verily  you 
deserve  to  have  been,  my  own  dear,  honest, 
upright  and  true  mother!  What  are  all  the 
others  in  comparison  with  you  ? 

People  ought  to  kiss  the  ground  your  feet 
have  trod. 

This  winter  is  infinitely  raw — would  that  you 
kept  warm  in  that  thin,  wobbly  little  dwelling  of 
yours  near  the  Dammthor!  I  let  myself  lack 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        1 95 

for  nothing  and  for  warming  burn  whole  forests. 
Am  generally  well  cared  for. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

In  the  above  letter  Heine  calls  it  nonsense 
when  German  newspapers  talk  about  his  con- 
version ;  and  yet,  although  perhaps  at  the  time 
he  did  not  know  it  himself,  a  change  was  taking 
place  in  his  way  of  religious  thinking. 

Heine,  who  had  been  brought  up  in  his 
parents'  house  to  the  faith  of  Israel,  was  held  by 
those  parents  to  a  strict  worship  of  God  without 
any  insistance  on  ritual;  but  in  1825  he  went 
over  to  the  Lutheran  faith.  His  philosophical 
studies  which  occupied  him  all  his  life,  raised 
him  far  above  the  forms  of  all  positive  re- 
ligions. 

Passing  forward  he  reached  a  poetic  pantheism 
by  the  way  of  the  new  teaching  of  Saint  Simon- 
ism.  If  later  he  remained  always  a  freethinker, 
still  in  the  end  atheism  gave  him  a  disgust, 
and,  sharply  tried  by  the  long  sufferings  of  his 
sick  bed,  he  returned  again  to  pure,  formless 
deism. 


196       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

LXXXVIII 

PARIS,  March  15,  1850. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  : 

I  have  duly  received  the  letter  in  which  you 
note  the  reception  of  the  bill  of  exchange  ;  yes, 
I  repeat  my  promise  that  I  will  at  once  notify 
you  if  I  should  fall  into  any  momentary  embar- 
rassment, in  order  that  I  may  have  command  of 
the  returned  sum  of  money,  which  is  safer  in  your 
hands  than  in  mine.  I  think  I  have  already  told 
you  that  on  the  whole  my  finances  are  properly 
arranged,  so  that  only  temporary  embarrassments 
could  arise,  which  are  not  painful,  but  merely 
annoying,  and  that  the  next  quarterly  payment 
always  fills  up  the  deficit  of  the  preceding 
quarter  in  the  quietest  and  most  regular  fashion. 

The  expenses  of  my  sickness  are  very  large, 
not  because  I  need  physician  or  apothecary 
much,  but  because  I  have  to  guard  myself 
by  sacrifices  of  money  from  many  noxious  in- 
fluences.* 

But  as  to  my  sickness,  the  worst  of  all  is  that 

*  Meaning  the  financial  assistance  which  Heine  gave  to  many 
of  the  German  refugees  in  Paris. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEiNRicit  HEINE.     197 

one  hangs  on  to  life  so  long,  a  thing,  dear 
mother,  which  naturally  does  not  seem  to  you 
the  worst  ;  but  I,  who  have  to  bear  so  much 
physically  and  lose  all  hope  of  cure,  I  envy 
people  who  are  quickly  snatched  away  by  acute 
diseases.  In  death  the  terrible  thing  consists 
only  of  this :  that  it  plunges  our  dear  ones  into 
woe.  How  gladly  would  I  leave  this  world  if 
I  did  not  think  of  the  helplessness  of  my 
squanderer,  the  misery  of  the  old  baggage  who 
lives  near  the  Dammthor  and  the  tears  of  my 
sister !  I  thank  her  for  her  latest  kind  advices. 
My  darling  Lotta  always  gives  me  the  greatest 
pleasure  when  I  get  one  of  her  letters.  But  you 
must  not  expect  an  answer  from  me  often,  for  it 
gives  me  too  much  sorrow  to  find  that  I  can 
write  you  only  saddening  or  mournful  letters 
and  even  these  only  by  a  third  hand. 

I  send  hearty  thanks  to  my  nephew  for  his 
friendly  letter,  which  I  read  with  pleasure,  but 
with  great  difficulty.  He  must  write  me  often, 
but  with  black  ink  and  in  legible  writing.  I  am 
anxious  to  learn  from  you  how  the  young  fellow 
will  come  out  and  what  we  may  expect  from 
him.  I  send  greeting  to  Nanny  and  Nelly  and 


198       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

kiss  them.  How  often  I  think  of  my  dear  Nanny, 
my  sweet  child — and  about  the  sweet  Auf- 
lauf  which  she  knew  so  well  how  to  prepare  !  * 
Would  I  had  my  Nanny  here,  together  with  so 
well  cooked  a  dish  !  After  that  I  would  drink  a 
good  cup  of  tea,  but  not  one  from  the  first 
pouring,  but  from  the  last  cups,  which  she  used 
to  keep  all  for  herself. 

My  wife,  who  is  going  out  walking  once  more 
and  is  in  good  health,  sends  her  love. 

And  now  farewell.     Keep  in  affection 

Your  faithful 
H.  HEINE. 

LXXXIX 

PARIS,  May  6,  1850. 
MY  DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER 

AND  MUCH  BELOVED  SISTER  : 

With  joy  did  I  receive  the  letter,  from  which  I 

gathered  your  good  health  and  in  which  at  the 

same  time  I  find  more  loving  sympathy  than  I 

can  possibly  deserve,  more  than  might  seem  at 

times  quite  to  fit  me.     How  can  I  repay  all  this  ? 

• 

*  A  sweet  dish  that  rises  in  the  oven  like  an  omelette-soufflee. — 
TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        199 

And  how  can  I  satisfy  your  loving  wishes 
always  to  be  kept  advertised  of  my  condition  in 
a  state  of  things  like  this :  when  every  com- 
munication with  outside,  if  it  must  be  given 
in  German,  is  made  particularly  difficult  for 
me? 

For  you  must  know  I  have  no  longer  the  help 
of  the  German  who  for  the  last  twelve  years 
cared  for  my  correspondence,  and  as  I  cannot 
dictate  any  German  to  the  Frenchman  who  has 
taken  his  place,  it  is  not  every  day  that  a  German 
pen  is  at  my  command  in  order  to  communicate 
with  you.  So  that  if  from  now  on  you  get 
letters  from  me  at  still  more  irregular  intervals 
you  may  put  it  down  to  this  state  of  things  and 
absolve  me  from  every  blame  of  unloving  neglect. 

For  the  rest,  nothing  particularly  remarkable 
has  taken  place  here.  I  feel  somewhat  better 
about  the  heart ;  I  suffer  a  little  less ;  but  I  fear 
that  the  disease  goes  always  onward  with  its  quiet 
but  fatal  snail's  pace.  I  avoid  almost  all  medi- 
cine. My  wife  is  in  excellent  health,  is  getting 
very  stout,  and  asks  to  be  affectionately  remem- 
bered. 

Carl  comes  to  see  me  now  and  then  ;  he  was 


200       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

four  times  here  in  one  month,  but  he  appears  to 
be  on  the  point  of  leaving  on  a  journey.  I  touch 
on  nothing  that  may  hurt  his  feelings.  He  has  a 
good  heart ;  but  between  heart  and  pocket  there 
is  no  railroad  in  running  order.  I  do  not  com- 
plain, and  always  let  things  go  along  now  as  go 
they  will. 

I  heartily  thank  you,  dear  Lotta,  for  the 
kindly  eagerness  to  serve  me  ;  but  in  this  regard 
I  refer  to  what  long  ago  I  told  dear  mother.  Is 
it  not  possible  to  send  German  books  to  me  here 
from  your  circulating  library  and  by  the  steamer 
which  might  also  bring  them  back  ? 

I  would  like  now  and  then  to  have  some  Ger- 
man piece  read  aloud  to  me,  and  as  I  never  get 
from  the  bookseller  here  the  volume  I  ask  for, 
and  as  there  is  no  circulating  library  here,  I  must 
look  about  me  for  an  escape.  In  case  it  can  be 
done,  you  might  send  me  a  catalogue  from  Ham- 
burg under  separate  cover. 

I  do  not  go  into  the  country,  but  nevertheless 
I  shall,  and  no  later  than  to-morrow,  perform 
something  extremely  idyllic :  I  shall  begin  to 
drink  ass's  milk !  My  physician  has  ordered  it — 
and  if  it  is  wholesome  for  me  I  shall  gladly  take 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       20 1 

refuge  among  the  donkeys.*  I  should  have 
written  to  Gustav  long  ago  if  I  had  not  again 
lost  his  address.  But  I  shall  write  to  him  pres- 
ently to  ask  him  to  do  something  for  me  in 
Vienna  ;  so  send  me  his  address  again.  I  have 
had  the  most  affectionate  letter  from  Max. 

The  idea  of  transporting  myself  with  my  house- 
hold to  Hamburg  often  bobs  up  in  my  mind,  and 
if  I  were  sure  that  this  transfer  and  the  bang  and 
bounce  would  not  attack  my  poor  body  too  much, 
it  might  at  last  come  to  be  carried  out.  Unfor- 
tunately I  am  up  to  my  ears  in  work  and  although 
it  strains  me  much,  I  can't  avoid  all  business  and 
all  literary  work.  Write  me  soon  and  much. 

If  Ludvvig  can  get  away  from  Hamburg  one  of 
these  days  for  a  little  while  without  neglecting  in 
any  way  his  business,  it  might  be  well  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  present  quickness  and  cheapness 
of  railway  travel  and  send  him  to  Paris  just  for 
once.  I  would  see  him  here  with  the  greatest 
pleasure  and  might  make  use  of  him  through  ad- 
vice and  commissions  by  word  of  mouth  which 

*  A  favorite  in  that  menagerie  of  beasts  which  Germans  use  as 
synonyms  of  stupidity.  See  "  Die  Wahlesel,"  a  political  satire, 
vol.  iii.  p.  219.— TR. 


202       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

would  also  be  very  profitable  for  my  most  inti- 
mate affairs.  Everything  would  be  finished  in 
eight  days  and  the  boy  would  have  had  no  leisure 
to  get  too  exact  an  acquaintance  with  Paris. 

And  now  farewell ;  keep  me  in  affection  : 
write  to  me  much,  especially  on  family  matters, 
and  forgive  me  if  I  keep  you  waiting  long  for 
answers.  I  greet  my  nephew  Ludwig  heartily, 
and  so  with  all  the  rest. 

I  would  like  some  day  a  letter,  and  moreover 
in  her  own  handwriting,  from  my  dear  niece 
Anna.  She  need  not  bother  herself  a  bit,  and 
may  write  whatever  comes  into  her  head.  I 
have  a  good  cook  now,  but  a  regular  Auflauf  with 
sweetmeats  cannot  be  made  in  France  as  it  is 
with  you  in  the  North. 

God  pour  much  happiness  and  blessing,  dear 
Lotta,  upon  your  new  house  ! 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 
XC 

PARIS,  June  15,  1850. 
DEAREST  MOTHER: 

I  have  duly  received  your  kind  letter,  with 
postscripts  by  Lotta  and  Nanny,  and  would  have 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       203 

written  you  sooner  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
difficulties  concerning  German  correspondence 
of  which  I  notified  you  in  my  former  letter. 
Otherwise  nothing  has  happened,  and  as  regards 
my  illness,  it  puts  me  out  a  great  deal  if  I  have 
to  sing  to  you,  dear  mother,  my  old  song  of  com- 
plaint with  the  same  old  sorrowful  variations. 
I  will  only  repeat :  the  worst  of  this  illness  is 
that  one  merely  suffers  frightfully  from  it,  but 
does  not  die  quickly.  You  can  rest  assured  that 
I  shall  not  conceal  any  turn  for  the  worse.  If  I 
do  not  write,  you  need  imagine  nothing  more 
than  that  I  have  not  at  hand  a  friendly  penman, 
or  else  that  I  do  not  wish  to  blacken  still  more 
my  already  sufficiently  darkened  mood  by  sor- 
rowful communications  to  you.  But  I  think  of 
you  constantly ;  be  assured  of  that.  Truth  to 
say,  I  would  like  to  survive  you  in  order  to  spare 
you  the  sorrow  of  the  news  of  my  death — and 
perhaps  that  is  now  the  chief  interest  I  take  in 
life.  When  I  no  longer  have  you  I  shall  turn 
toward  death  with  a  much  lighter  heart.  Lotta 
has  her  children  and  husband,  and  so  far  as  my 
wife  is  concerned,  she  has  too  happy  a  nature 
that  she  could  not  in  the  long  run  do  without  me. 


2<H       FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Don't  you  perceive  how  much  reason  I  have 
not  to  write  often — only  melancholy  funeral-call 
letters !  I  have  turned  into  a  very  sorrowful, 
fun-lacking  clown ! 

Thank  you,  dear  sister,  for  having  considered 
my  hastily  expressed  desire  in  regard  to  books. 
But  I  told  you  that  you  should  send  me  under 
separate  cover  a  catalogue.  Such  a  sending 
would  have  cost  eight  shillings  at  the  most.  In- 
stead of  that,  Jovien  the  bookseller  has  sent  me 
his  catalogue  in  a  parcel  by  way  of  Havre,  and 
added  to  said  parcel  three  more  books,  which 
have  not  the  slightest  interest  for  me.  I  am 
sending  you  these  books  by  hand  of  Carl  Heine 
presently  ;  he  takes  them  with  him  and  in  that 
way  saves  me  the  expenditure  of  seven  francs, 
for  that  is  what  the  parcel  costs,  since  the  rascals 
of  forwarding  agents  in  Havre  charge  just  as 
much  commission  and  costs  for  the  couple  of 
books  as  for  a  large  box  ;  the  freight  itself,  par- 
ticularly from  Havre  hither,  is  very  unimportant. 
But  I  would  gladly  pay  such  a  sum  for  parcels  of 
books  which  have  some  interest  for  me  in  the 
reading,  and  if  I  find  no  occasion  to  send  them 
back,  will  return  them  quickly  at  my  own 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        205 

expense.  But  in  order  that  I  may  not  need  to 
repeat  this  too  often,  I  must  beg  that  at  least  a 
dozen  books  be  sent  me  at  once,  and  that  noth- 
ing be  sent  which  I  did  not  expressly  ask  for. 

Among  the  books  which  I  wish  to  read  are  the 
writings  of  Dickens  (Boz),  especially  his  "  Pick- 
wick "  and  travels  in  America  and  Italy.  "  Hum- 
phrey's Clock  "  by  the  same  author,  as  well  as 
his  "  Cricket  on  the  Hearth,"  I  have  already 
read.  Then  I  would  like  the  writings  of  Gogol 
translated  from  the  Russian.  Moreover  I  wish 
to  read  a  novel  by  L.  Storch  which  is  called  in 
the  catalogue  :  "  The  Star  of  Jacob,  a  Messiad." 
If  this  book  is  not  on  hand,  I  would  like  to  read 
the  following  numbers  by  that  author.  Many  of 
Tieck's  novels  also  I  have  not  read  and  I  beg 
you  to  send  the  volumes  marked.  Look,  dear 
Lotta,  and  see  if  there  is  not  in  the  circulating 
library  the  first  and  second  parts  of  "Die 
Kronen-wachter,"  by  Arnim,  the  latter  volume 
of  which  only  appeared  a  few  years  ago.* 
Enough  for  the  present ! 

Some  of  these  will  doubtless  be  found,  from 

*  L.  Achim  von  Arnim,  a  writer  of  romances  and  short  stories, 
who  is  still  read  in  Germany.— TR. 


206       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

which  as  soon  as  possible  a  neat  invoice  can  be 
put  together,  but  I  pray  you  to  let  them  come 
soon,  since  I  find  occasion  oftener  in  summer  to 
send  back  the  books  without  expense. 

I  send  my  heartiest  thanks  for  her  letter  to 
my  dear  niece  Anna ;  I  would  have  infinite 
pleasure  in  seeing  her  again,  for  everybody  tells 
me  so  much  that  is  nice  and  delightful  con- 
cerning her.  If  she  turns  out  like  her  mother 
and  grandmother,  the  husband  may  congratulate 
himself  who  ends  by  bagging  her,  particularly  if 
she  also  has  the  gentleness  of  both. 

Your  loving,  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

XCI 

PARIS,  June  18,  1850. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  hope  that  these  lines  find  you  in  good  con- 
dition ;  on  my  side,  for  the  last  two  days  I  feel 
better  than  usual,  because  with  nervous  dis- 
orders such  as  mine  conditions  change  so,  that 
one  despairs  to-day  and  rejoices  again  the  day 
after  and  never  knows  where  one's  health 
exactly  stands.  It  is  this  lack  of  stability  which 
furnishes  the  reason  why  I  never  give  you 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        207 

details  concerning  my  sufferings,  which  are  cer- 
tain to  have  changed  by  the  time  you  have 
received  my  letter. 

Carl  Heine  is  about  to  leave,  and  so  I  send  by 
him  back  to  Hamburg  the  books  of  the  circulat- 
ing library.  In  my  last  letter  day  before  yester- 
day I  forgot  to  remark  that  I  am  also  acquainted 
with  that  one  of  the  works  of  Boz  (Dickens) 
which  is  entitled  "  Christmas  Tale,"  and  that 
therefore  you  need  not  send  it  to  me.  More- 
over I  forgot  to  remark  that  Mr.  Jovien  has 
given  my  address  wrong,  and  for  that  reason  his 
parcel  took  long  to  find  me.  Therefore  Lotta 
must  give  him  my  correct  address  for  the  send- 
ing of  books,  which  I  expect  as  soon  as  possible. 
My  wife  is  in  good  health,  but  unfortunately  she 
becomes  more  corpulent  every  day.  She  weighs 
180  pounds  already.  She  asks  to  be  heartily 
remembered  to  you,  and  never  ceases  to  talk 
about  you  all. 

This  morning  the  world-renowned  poet  Wihl 
made  me  a  visit  and  commissioned  me  to  im- 
part his  compliments  to  my  mother  and  sister. 
Barring  his  vanity,  which  might  cause  him  to 
do  the  worst  of  things,  and  certainly  has  lured 


208       FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

him  to  much  that  is  evil,  he  is,  all  the  same,  a 
very  kind  person. 

I  have  not  yet  reached  the  point  of  writing  to 
Gustav,  as  every  epistolary  communication  in 
German,  as  you  know,  is  made  hard  for  me  ;  but 
I  shall  write  to  him  soon,  as  I  have  some  com- 
missions for  him  to  be  executed  in  my  interests 
and  am  sure  of  his  love  for  me.  You,  dear 
Lotta,  I  heartily  greet,  as  well  as  my  dear  nieces 
and  nephews  also. 

Tell  me,  dear  Lotta,  why  I  get  no  letter  from 
Campe.  My  drafts  are  punctually  paid  by  him 
every  time  I  draw  on  him  for  my  quarterly 
pension,  but  I  get  no  answer  to  any  of  my 
letters.  What  does  he  want  ?  What  is  he  cook- 
ing up  ?  Luckily,  I  have  no  need  at  present  to 
publish  anything  ;  otherwise  this  silence  on  his 
part,  which  might  force  me  to  enter  into  rela- 
tions with  other  publishers,  would  put  me  to 
some  embarrassment.  But  he  can  hardly  know 
that,  and  this  absence  of  reply  on  his  part  admits 
of  no  reply.  Try  to  find  out  something  in  this 
connection,  my  dear  Lotta,  and  write  rne  in 
general  as  much  as  you  can. 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        209 
XCII 

PARIS,  July  25,  1850. 
DEAREST  MOTHER: 

My  last  letter  crossed  yours  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  this  will  happen  again.  I  hope  that 
you  are  all  well — which  is  the  main  thing.  On 
my  side,  I  am  feeling  so-so,  and  even  though 
my  sickness  is  still  not  dwindling,  nevertheless  it 
seems  to  me  as  if  my  strength  were  gaining,  and 
there  are  days  in  which  I  feel  little  pain  and 
permit  my  fancy  a  free  course  with  wide-flying 
plans  of  health.  I  work  little,  but  my  mind  was 
never  more  alert,  active  and  robust.  Things  are 
still  bad  as  regards  my  eyes.  Again  I  have  tried 
to  write,  but  it  went  ill  with  me.  In  order  not 
to  blot  so  much  I  often  write  with  the  lead 
pencil,  which  is  however  very  cumbersome. 

My  dear  Lotta  has  my  hearty  greeting  and 
thanks  for  the  advices  she  sends.  I  have  received 
the  books,  but  am  in  poor  luck  with  this  con- 
signment, for  on  the  one  hand  I  have  got  things 
which  do  not  please  me  entirely  and  yet  were 
things  I  wanted ;  on  the  other  hand  I  have  re- 
ceived what  I  have  read  already,  perhaps  because  I 


210       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

do  not  express  myself  properly.  Now  it  shall  be 
my  care  to  find  an  occasion  to  send  the  books 
back  again  soon.  I  would  like  to  know  whether 
the  costs  would  be  less  if  I  caused  the  books  to  be 
brought  by  rail  direct  from  Hamburg ;  Ludwig 
should  make  inquiry  whether  in  any  event  one  can 
send  parcels  directly  hither  by  the  trains  and  how 
much  freight  must  be  paid  for  a  given  number  of 
pounds.  All  I  know  is  that  parcels  which  come 
here  from  Cologne  by  rail  only  cost  a  ridiculously 
small  amount. 

My  wife  asks  to  be  remembered  heartily;  we 
talk  of  you  day  and  night,  mostly  at  night,  for  we 
never  go  to  bed  earlier  than  twelve  or  one  o'clock. 
We  live  quietly  and  in  the  greatest  unity,  and 
never  was  my  wife  more  reasonable  than  just 
now.  And  yet  the  Germans  here  have  spread  a 
report  that  I  am  separated  from  my  wife  on  ac- 
count of  quarrels.  You  have  no  conception  what 
sort  of  vermin  crawls  about  here  under  the  name 
of  Germans.  The  person  against  whom  Lotta 
warns  me  is  nevertheless  quite  a  precious  stone 
by  comparison  with  the  louse  from  whom  Campe 
pretends  to  have  received  news  of  me  and  whom 
he  calls  Ferdinand  W.  A  wretch,  to  whom  for 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        211 

fifteen  years  I  have  shown  kindnesses,  and  who 
nevertheless  at  last  performed  such  low  tricks 
that  I  was  forced  to  turn  him  out  in  dis- 
grace ! 

I  repeat,  dear  mother,  that  I  am  getting  on 
better ;  perhaps  I  am  somewhat  unjust,  as  all 
sick  folk  are,  and  will  not  acknowledge  to  myself 
that  I  am  at  least  twenty-four  per  cent,  better  in 
health  than  before. 

And  now  farewell ;  write  me  soon  and  a  good 
deal,  and  keep  in  affection, 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

XC1II 

PARIS,  August  3,  1850. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER: 

I  hope  that  you  are  in  a  good  state  of  health 
and  that  I  shall  soon  get  letters  from  you  in 
which  I  shall  see  this  hope  confirmed.  I  hasten 
to-day  to  notify  you  before  the  post  leaves  that 
I  am  sending  you  a  parcel  of  books  by  the  dili- 
gence, and  pray  you  to  deliver  it  without  delay 
to  Jovien,  the  keeper  of  the  circulating  library, 


212       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H BIN  RICH  HEINE. 

together  with  the  accompanying  list,  from  which 
he  may  see  what  books  he  is  to  send  me  at  once 
by  diligence.  I  expressly  say  diligence — nothing 
by  the  Hamburg  steamer,  which  I  find  to-day 
will  cost  more  !  For  I  have  been  able  to  express 
the  present  parcel  only  as  far  as  Aix-la-Chapelle 
and,  think  of  it  !  the  freight  that  far  only  costs 
two  francs !  I  beg  you  will  therefore  tell  me 
how  much  you  had  to  pay  for  the  package  from 
Aix  to  Hamburg,  not  only  in  order  to  return 
you  the  money  on  occasion,  but  to  learn  in 
general  how  much  the  freight  is  by  land  in  con- 
tradistinction to  steamer  costs.  I  beg  you  also 
not  to  forget  to  let  the  bookseller  know  that  he  is 
to  send  the  books  off  without  delay. 

I  greet  heartily  my  dear  Lotta,  and  hope  that 
my  dear  sister  will  write  me  soon  and  much. 
I  live  very  isolated,  and  otherwise  would  not 
hear  anything  about  Hamburg  affairs. 

No  change  has  taken  place  in  my  health  ;  I 
bear  my  lot  quietly  and  enjoy  the  finest  house- 
hold peace — as  well  as  cherry  tarts,  which  my 
cook  knows  how  to  bake  in  a  very  superior 
fashion.  My  cook  is  a  female  genius,  and  under 
the  title  of  German  Nttdeln  she  constructs  a  dish 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        213 

which  is  actually  the  schalet*  of  the  Jews,  the 
which  I  eat  with  pleasure.  There  is  the  greatest 
bit  of  news  I  have  to  impart ! 

Farewell,  and  keep  me  in  affection. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

XCIV 

PARIS,  September  26,  1850. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER 

AND  MUCH  BELOVED  SISTER  : 
Since  my  last  letter  nothing  much  that  is  en- 
joyable has  occurred;  my  health  is  just  the  same, 
but  my  household  arrangements,  as  I  foresaw, 
have  turned  much  more  annoying.  The  young 
girl  of  whom  I  wrote  you  has  become  seriously 
ill,  and  as  I  did  not  have  the  heart  to  send  her 
away,  I  now  have  two  sick  people  in  my  house. 
For  the  last  six  weeks  she  has  been  bedridden, 
will  not  be  able  to  convalesce  very  quickly,  and 
the  physician  makes  but  small  promise  for  the 
future.  Her  illness  comes  from  poor  blood  ;  she 

*  A  fruit  cake  like  shortcake,  perhaps  originally  the  same  term 
as  charlotte,  and  if  so  of  unknown  origin.  Some  Jews  claim 
schalet  as  the  original.  Called  by  Polish  Jews  schlod. — TR. 


214       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

is  as  good  as  lost,  and  from  this  direction  I  may 
expect  a  great  deal  that  is  unpleasant.  On  the 
one  hand  my  wife  loses  her  factotum  and  a 
necessary  companion  for  walking  in  the  streets, 
and  I  lose  my  caretaker  and  reader  in  French, 
who  was  at  my  orders  every  hour.  I  now  have 
someone  to  read  French  to  me  in  the  evening 
only,  and  have  been  placed  under  the  necessity 
of  hiring  a  garde  malade,  who  bores  me  greatly 
by  her  lazy,  negligent  ways,  who  consumes  a 
great  deal  of  feed,  is  black  of  complexion  and 
— costs  me  notwithstanding  150  francs  a 
month  ;  that  is  to  say,  five  francs  a  day.  For 
this  reason  my  wife  is  very  naturally  not 
always  in  a  happy  mood,  and  you  can  easily  see 
that  under  these  circumstances  I  often  yearn 
for  you.  But  at  present  I  must  not  yet  think  of 
emigrating  to  Hamburg-  at  least  not  until  my 
health  has  taken  on  more  solid  strength,  by 
which  I  mean  that  the  cramps  from  which  I 
suffer  a  great  deal  must  first  stop. 

As  I  have  always  told  you,  my  disease  is  a 
painful,  nervous  one,  and  in  its  case  every  move- 
ment becomes  unbearable.  I  might  put  my  body 
in  danger  during  a  transfer  to  Hamburg,  more- 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        215 

over  it  is  not  certain  that  the  climate  there 
would  suit  me  at  present. 

You  see  how  cautiously  and  forethoughtfully 
I  go  to  work,  and  how  it  will  not  be  my  fault  if 
the  bankruptcy  of  my  body  should  set  in  at  least 
before  you,  my  dear  mother,  are  at  rest. 

We  talk  of  you  here  all  the  time  and  I  can 
assure  you  that  my  wife  does  not  spare  any 
trouble  in  caring  for  me.  She  sends  hearty 
greetings  to  you,  as  well  as  to  the  younger  gen- 
eration. Tell  my  nephew  Ludwig  that  his  cousin 
Drucker  has  written  me  a  very  nice  letter  and 
sent  me  a  catalogue  ;  but  in  this  catalogue  there 
is  even  less  to  be  found  than  in  the  Hamburg 
catalogue,  and  I  don't  know  yet  whether  I  can 
make  any  use  of  it.  For  the  present  I  shall  stick 
to  Hamburg,  but  I  must  beg  that  I  shall  not  be 
kept  waiting  so  long  for  the  dispatch  of  books. 
Yesterday  I  sent  the  last  invoice  back  by  express 
and  addressed  once  more  to  dear  mother  in 
Hamburg.  You  will  have  to  pay  a  larger  freight 
this  time  than  in  the  last  instance,  because  I 
could  not  frank  it  even  to  the  frontier. 

A  stupid  fellow,  to  whom  I  committed  the  for- 
warding of  the  package,  did  not  even  bring  me 


2l6       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

back  a  receipt  from  the  post,  and  so  you  must 
let  me  know  at  once  if  the  books  have  arrived  in 
good  order.  I  don't  know  whether  you  still  pos- 
sess the  former  list  of  books  which  I  sent  you 
latterly ;  for  greater  certainty  I  shall  give  you 
inclosed  once  more  the  list  of  books  I  wish  to 
have.  Particularly  care  for  this,  however :  that 
the  package  be  sent  at  once,  and  that  I  shall  not 
have  to  wait  so  long;  moreover  be  careful  that 
the  correct  street  number  gets  on  the  address,  as 
well  as  a  small  estimate  of  value. 

I  thank  you  much  for  your  last  letter,  and  par- 
ticularly you,  dear  Lotta,  must  I  thank  for  all 
your  communications  and  funny  passages. 

If  there  is  a  good  circulating  library  in  Ham- 
burg beside  that  of  Jovien,  then  send  me  a  cata- 
logue of  it  under  separate  cover. 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

XCV 

PARIS,  November  23,  1850. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  hope  that  you  are  in  good  health,  and  that 
the  terrible  winter  approaching  may  not  shake 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.     217 

you.  At  every  increase  of  this  raw  weather  I 
ever  think  of  you,  your  dear,  weak  body,  the 
miserable  rotten  roof  of  your  old  abode  near  the 
Dammthor,  and  every  blast  of  wind  which  you 
must  feel  there ;  and  my  heart  is  often  in 
deeper  anxiety  than  you  can  conceive.  You 
would  do  well,  therefore,  to  write  me  often 
nowadays. 

As  regards  myself,  no  changes  have  taken 
place  in  my  condition  ;  I  am  always  hoping  that 
things  will  be  better,  and  every  morning  this 
hope  turns  out  a  liar.  What  shall  I  do?  I  must 
take  life  even  as  God  gives  it  me.  I  permit 
nothing  to  lack  in  caretaking,  and  my  wife  is 
happy  if  she  can  spend  the  last  sous  for  the 
expenses  of  my  sickness  and  the  improvement 
of  my  condition. 

With  regard  to  the  maid,  I  had  a  hard  battle 
with  her  (Mathilde)  before  I  persuaded  her  to 
send  the  poor  creature  to  the  hospital,  where  she 
actually  is  at  present,  and  already  finds  herself 
noticeably  better.  Had  I  done  this  four  months 
ago,  not  only  would  I  be  richer  by  a  notable  sum 
of  money,  but  I  would  have  escaped  certain  costly 
false  positions,  from  which  I  can  extract  myself 


218       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

with  difficulty  only  now — I  am  speaking  with 
regard  to  my  domestics.  Many  an  old  tangled 
spot  on  my  finances  seems  now  to  get  light  upon 
it,  and  I  have  a  prospect  of  rescuing  at  last 
something  of  a  good  many  matters  already  given 
up  for  lost.  What  has  annoyed  me  most  is,  that 
I  am  not  in  a  position  to  earn  a  sous  at  a  time 
when  I  might  do  so  much. 

Again  not  a  word  from  Campe,  whose  silence 
appears  to  be  calculated  for  this  end :  to  await 
the  moment  when  I  am  "  blowing  at  the  last 
hole"  and  must  give  myself  up,  bound  hand  and 
foot,  for  an  apple  and  a  bit  of  bread !  He  is 
mistaken.  I  wrote  to  Gustav  not  long  ago 
and  burdened  him  with  some  literary  com- 
mission. 

Although  my  dear  Lotta  writes  that  the  little 
chest  with  books  was  sent  from  Hamburg  hither 
as  early  as  October  2,  nevertheless  up  to  to-day 
I  have  never  received  it  and  pray  Lotta  to  make 
the  necessary  inquiries.  I  confess  that  I  am  not 
a  little  grumpy  over  this. 

And  now  farewell ;  I  kiss  you  all  truly  and 
heartily. 

H.  HEINE. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       219 

No  improvement  had  occurred  in  Heine's 
paralytic  condition  and  the  extremities  of  his 
body  remained  without  movement. 

In  the  morning  after  a  lukewarm  bath  he  was 
carefully  removed  from  his  bed  to  an  invalid's 
chair  stuffed  with  soft  blankets,  for  the  slight- 
est pressure  and  every  quick  movement  caused 
the  most  violent  pains  to  his  suffering  body. 
He  once  called  out  to  his  physician,  who  was 
once  present  at  this  transfer:  "Now  you  can 
see  how  people  in  Paris  worship  me  and  fairly 
dandle  me  on  their  hands  !  " 

At  night  a  maid  had  to  sleep  near  him  and 
by  his  special  command  his  wife's  chamber  was 
placed  as  far  as  possible  away  from  his  own  in 
order  to  spare  her  night  rest. 

The  ordering  of  his  household  was  that  of  a 
well  to  do  burgher  residence  and  the  extrava- 
gant decorations  of  modern  luxury  were  absent. 
His  bedchamber,  always  roomy  and  airy,  made 
a  homelike  impression  despite  its  simplicity ; 
beyond  the  absolutely  necessary  objects  were  a 
few  seats  near  his  bed  for  visitors  and  opposite 
these  a  writing  table  covered  with  a  countless 
mass  of  papers,  journals  and  books.  The  recep- 


220       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

tion  room  was  furnished  with  red  satin  furniture, 
the  walls  were  embellished  with  a  portrait  of  his 
wife,  an  oil  likeness  of  his  sister,  a  lithographic 
portrait  of  Salomon  Heine,  and  a  little  bookshelf 
filled  for  the  most  part  with  his  own  works  in 
undecorative  bindings.  In  the  middle  of  the 
room  stood  a  table  with  albums,  books  and 
pictures  and  on  the  chimney-piece  a  bronze  time- 
piece between  two  porcelain  vases  which  at  all 
times  were  filled  with  fresh  flowers. 

In  the  morning  Heine  ate  a  nourishing  break- 
fast consisting  of  some  light  roasted  meat,  fruits 
and  a  glass  of  Bordeaux  and  water.  After  a  little 
rest  he  began  to  work,  dictated  to  his  secretary, 
or  had  someone  read  aloud.  In  the  afternoon 
if  his  health  permitted,  the  poet  received  the 
visits  of  friends,  strangers  and  also  of  elegant 
women  of  the  upper  classes,  whose  presence  always 
brightened  him  up  if  they  were  young  and  pretty. 
Heine  called  women  "  the  great  nation,  ruler  of 
the  world." 

At  six  o'clock  dinner  was  taken,  which  was 
prepared  in  a  simple  but  nourishing  way,  had 
always  variety  to  offer,  and  was  for  the  most  part 
eaten  with  a  good  appetite.  His  wife  had  hard 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        221 

work  satisfying  his  gastronomical  demands :  for 
Heine  was  a  great  gourmand  who  once  said,  after 
a  rich  banquet  at  the  Cafe  V£four :  "  That  din- 
ner was  so  good  it  deserved  to  be  eaten  on  one's 
knees." 

Mathilde  also  loved  to  eat  at  the  restaurant,  and 
in  order  to  make  it  possible  she  often  took  refuge 
in  the  following  stratagem.  The  taste  of  mutton 
was  very  displeasing  to  her  husband  ;  so,  when  he 
asked  what  there  was  to  eat,  as  he  came  home 
with  a  good  appetite  and  in  a  good  humor,  she 
would  say  mutton  !  At  once  he  would  take  up 
his  hat  and  say  :  "  Come,  Mathilde,  let  us  go  and 
dine  at  Ve"four's."  If  acquaintances  were  met 
with  on  the  road  they  were  asked  to  come  along 
and  as  Mathilde  regarded  champagne  as  a  spice 
which  could  not  be  omitted  from  a  good  dinner, 
this  joke,  being  often  repeated,  caused  very  con- 
siderable expenditures. 

XCVI 

PARIS,  December  2,  1850. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

Your  dear  letter  in  which  you  impart  to  me  the 
confinement  of  Mme.  Gustav  Heine,  as  well  as 


222       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

the  little  letter  from  sister,  in  which  she  gives 
me  news  of  the  misunderstandings  which  have  hap- 
pened as  to  the  books,  was  duly  received  last  week 
and  first  I  shall  answer  the  last  with  a  few  lines. 

I  have  done  you  injustice,  dear  Lotta,  by 
charging  you  with  neglectfulness  when  I  did 
not  get  the  books  from  Hamburg  which  I  de- 
sired. At  that  time  I  received  a  letter  from 
young  Drucker  who  informed  me  that  he  had 
made  arrangements  with  the  Schlosschen  circula- 
ting library  to  send  me  parcels  of  books  when- 
ever I  forwarded  the  numbers  in  the  catalogue 
which  he  had  sent  me  under  separate  cover. 
I  received  this  catalogue  and  at  the  same  time 
answered  young  Drucker  and  authorized  the  con- 
tract he  had  made  with  the  Schlosschen  circu- 
lating library;  I  sent  him  at  the  same  time  a  list 
of  books  which  I  wanted  sent  to  me. 

So,  a  few  days  later,  when  I  received  these 
books,  and  to  the  question  if  they  came  from 
Cologne  received  from  the  postman  an  affirma- 
tive answer,  I  was  absolutely  certain  that  these 
were  the  books  which  I  had  ordered  there  ;  and 
after  I  had  had  them  read  aloud  to  me,  I  gave 
the  order  to  send  them  back  to  Cologne  to  the 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        223 

Schlosschen  circulating  library  well  packed  up, 
and  this  was  duly  done  under  frank,  since,  as  I 
now  perceive,  one  can  prepay  parcels  as  far  as 
Cologne.  Along  with  the  package  went  a  letter 
of  directions  from  me,  as  the  custom  is  with 
expressage,  and  in  a  separate  letter  I  wrote  to 
the  said  library  such  directions  as  were  neces- 
sary in  regard  to  a  second  invoice  and  as  to  the 
money  for  the  books  and  costs.  Now  I  am  in- 
dignant that  from  Cologne,  where  they  must 
have  perceived  my  error  at  once,  I  have  received 
no  notification  concerning  it,  and  as  I  don't 
want  to  write  to  the  circulating  library,  which 
in  any  case  has  acted  discourteously,  nor  to  the 
idiotic  fellow  who  was  guilty  of  the  botherment, 
I  therefore  pray  you,  dear  Lotta,  to  get  Ludwig 
to  write  to  Cologne,  so  that  the  package  may 
be  sent  to  you  in  Hamburg  without  delay,  and 
so  you  can  give  back  the  books  to  the  library. 
Far  more  important,  dear  mother,  is  the 
matter  concerning  which  I  must  enlighten  you 
to-day.  But  in  this  case  I  can  be  more  concise 
and  need  not  heap  up  words.  I  promised  you, 
you  will  recall,  to  knock  at  your  door  in  case  I 
should  need  the  sum  of  money  which  you  offered 


224       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

me,  and  unfortunately  I  must  fulfill  my  promise 
to-day.  But  I  wish  that  you  would  forward  the 
money  to  me  in  the  following  way :  send  me  at 
once  a  bill  of  exchange  for  six  hundred  francs 
payable  here  and  keep  meanwhile  the  other  four 
hundred  francs  until  I  write  you  when  and  how 
you  are  to  send  them  to  me.  I  am  assuming 
that  you  can  deprive  yourself  at  present  of  the 
money,  and  as  I  long  ago  reported  quite  frankly 
the  budget  of  my  income,  you  will  not  be  dis- 
quieted, because  I  would  rather  ask  aid  of  you 
than  undertake  negotiations  and  moves  on 
account  of  a  small  sum  which  I  need  at  the  close 
of  the  year,  moves  which  would  be  costly  or  dis- 
agreeable. I  shall  not  tell  you  more,  and  I  hope 
you  trust  to  my  truthfulness;  otherwise  it  will  have 
pained  me  greatly  to  have  written  to  you  to-day. 

No  alteration  has  taken  place  in  my  health, 
but  when  the  change  of  weather  is  passed  I 
hope  for  a  certain  betterment  such  as  I  always 
experience  in  winter. 

And  now  farewell,  and  keep  in  affection 
Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE, 

50  Rue  Amsterdam, 


FAMILY  LIFE    OF  H 'El TV 'RICH  HEINE.        22$ 

XCVII 

PARIS,  February  5,  1851. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  AND  DEAR  SISTER  : 

I  have  yet  to  thank  you  for  your  good  wishes 
for  the  new  year ;  the  young  brood  also  I 
heartily  thank.  I  am  rejoiced  to  see  that  you 
all  are  well.  Meanwhile  nothing  important 
has  happened  here.  I  am  again  in  sickly  mood, 
somewhat  better  than  before,  perhaps  very  much 
better.  But  I  still  have  severe  nerve  pains  and, 
unhappily,  the  cramps  draw  upward  oftener  and 
that  tries  my  head  very  much.  So  I  now  have 
to  bear  what  God  has  laid  upon  me,  and  I  sup- 
port my  lot  with  patience  while  I  constantly 
think  of  you  all  with  love  ;  moreover  I  am  treated 
by  my  wife  at  this  moment  with  the  most  tender 
care  ;  nothing  that  my  nursing  requires  is  omitted, 
nor  anything  that  can  procure  me  pleasure  or 
the  assuagement  of  pain. 

My  finances  also  are  at  this  moment  exceed- 
ingly well  arranged  and  in  this  regard  Carl  also 
has  put  me  under  obligations,  since  this  year,  of 
his  own  movement  and  without  preliminary 
bang  and  bounce,  he  has  given  me  the  needful 


226       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

sums.  I  do  not  so  much  as  trouble  myself  to 
think  from  what  direction  this  favorable  treat- 
ment arises,  even  as  I  shall  in  general  neither 
worry  nor  rejoice  in  this  world  concerning  aught 
that  relates  to  money.  May  God's  will  be  done  ! 

And  then  I  cannot  take  complete  care  before- 
hand for  the  squanderer.  She  is  too  lovable  and 
her  faults  arise  too  much  from  goodness  of  heart 
that  I  could  grumble  at  her  for  even  the  most 
senseless  expenditures  and  such  like  follies. 
Without  her  would  not  life  be  devoid  of  interest  ? 
She  helps  me  support  this  painful  burden  which 
I  certainly  would  throw  aside  were  I  alone  in  the 
world. 

Write  to  me  very  soon  ;  and  you,  dear  Lotta, 
do  give  me  as  many  details  as  possible.  I  thank 
you  for  the  books  you  attended  to,  which  I 
shall  probably  send  back  to-morrow  to  Ham- 
burg to  mother's  address. 

As  I  can  prepay  only  a  short  distance,  you,  dear 
mother,  must  again  pay  a  large  expressage  for  me, 
but  you  perform  a  great  favor  by  so  doing.  For 
the  circulating  library  at  Cologne  contains  but 
few  books  which  I  can  use  and  so  I  can  draw 
thence  little  that  is  enlivening.  The  catalogue  at 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE.        227 

Hamburg  is  much  richer,  and  despite  the  larger 
cost,  dear  Lotta,  I  must  therefore  beg  that  you 
will  cause  a  new  invoice  to  reach  me  thence,  and 
that  as  soon  as  possible !  For  this  purpose  I 
send  you  the  inclosed  list ;  if,  contrary  to  expec- 
tation, so  many  books  are  out  on  loan  that 
enough  volumes  cannot  be  forwarded,  I  beg 
nevertheless  that  this  invoice  be  not  filled  up  with 
books  that  I  have  not  put  down  on  the  list.  I 
depend  on  it  however,  and  beg  you  to  inform  me 
when  the  volumes  have  been  dispatched. 
Farewell  and  keep  in  hearty  affection 
Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

XCVIII 

PARIS,  March  12,  1851. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  was  most  uncommonly  delighted  to  receive 
your  last  letter.  A  few  days  before  I  had  re- 
ceived a  few  lines  from  Lotta,  and  in  the  letter 
found  not  a  single  word  from  you.  At  the  same 
time  I  had  an  epistle  from  Mr.  Wirth,*  who 

*  Georg  Wirth,  introduced  to  Heine  by  Spiller  von  Hauen- 
schild  (Max  Waldau),  a  merchant  of  remarkable  literary  cultivation. 


228       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE1NRICH  HEINE. 

began  with  a  statement  that  he  had  not  been 
able  to  see  you  because  you  were  not  in  good 
health.  Anyone  else  would  have  worried  himself 
to  death,  but  after  serious  consideration  I  was 
able  to  quiet  my  mind  by  acknowledging  to  my- 
self that  Lotta  would  not  have  written  any  joy- 
ous letters  if  it  were  a  serious  illness,  but  that  in 
such  a  case  one  would  express  one's  self  with  dif- 
ferent turns  of  phrase  and  with  a  certain  embar- 
rassment. I  hope,  therefore,  that  you,  dear 
mother,  are  well.  But  if  by  chance  it  should  be 
the  case  that  you  are  seriously  ill,  tell  me  frankly  ; 
for  the  whole  truth  is  not  so  torturing  as  doubt. 

Things  are  better  with  me,  but  move  very  slowly. 
For  two  years  I  have  taken  no  medicine,  or  rather 
my  wife  won't  suffer  any  more  that  a  bottle  of 
medicine  shall  cross  the  threshold  ;  and  all  the  doc- 
tors too  she  has  sent  packing  to  the  devil,  with  the 
exception  of  a  single  one,  whom  I  do  not  see  for 
months  at  a  time  and  who  is  of  so  minute  a  size  that 
really  I  may  almost  say  I  employ  no  doctor  at  all.* 

Among  a  number  of  ills  one  should  always 
choose  the  least. 

Nevertheless  I  do  not  believe  that  I  shall  ever 

*  Dr.  Gruby,  a  Hungarian. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.     229 

stand  on  sound  legs  again.  I  am  done  with  this 
world  and  if  I  were  sure  that  some  time  I  should 
be  received  with  affability  in  heaven  I  would  bear 
my  existence  in  patience. 

My  greatest  happiness  is  to  think  of  you,  dear 
mother,  of  Lotta,  my  brothers  and  the  little 
brood.  My  wife  conducts  herself  in  an  almost 
exemplary  fashion.  She  eases  me  and  makes  my 
life  beautiful.  She  comforts  and  delights  me,  but 
now  and  then  unwittingly  breaks  my  heart  with 
her  irreclaimable  squandering.  There  is  no  help 
for  this;  that  is  really  my  greatest  chagrin.  Her 
fever  to  be  constantly  pouring  out  money  is 
frightful.  And  at  the  same  time  I  am  no  miser. 
Long  ago  I  stopped  laughing  about  it. 

I  send  hearty  greeting  to  my  dear  Lotta.  Mr. 
Wirth  who  called  on  her,  is  a  very  nice  and  extra- 
ordinarily talented,  not  to  say  a  most  honest  and 
upright  person  ;  I  myself  have  but  little  acquaint- 
ance with  him,  but  know  him  well  through 
friends  in  common. 

The  books  whose  dispatch  Lotta  announces 
have  not  yet  arrived,  and  I  hope  that  there  will 
not  be  great  botherations  with  them  again. 
Herr  Wirth  can  tell  Campe  as  he  will  what  I 


23°       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

said  to  him.  Lotta  was  in  error  when  she  be- 
lieved it  necessary  to  forbid  him  so  to  do.  But 
to  have  something  said  by  a  third  person  pur- 
posely is  a  thing  that  does  not  suit  me  ;  I  have 
always  found  that  not  much  salvation  came  to 
me  from  such  circumlocution  ;  I  speak  out  every- 
thing that  I  desire  people  should  know,  but  I 
cannot  afford  to  bring  myself  down  to  the  level 
of  making  anybody  my  compere. 

My  wife  asks  to  be  remembered  heartily  to  you 
all ;  entire  days  are  spent  by  us  in  talking  about 
you,  dear  mother  and  about  Lotta.  She  has 
not  forgotten  a  word  of  all  that  Lotta  said,  and 
our  conversation  always  ends  with  this — I  have 
to  show  her  my  tongue  ! 

Do  write  me  lots  and  soon,  for  I  live  retired 
from  the  whole  world  and  it  might  happen 
profitably  to  me  to  be  particularly  au  fait  in 
family  matters.  And  you,  dear  Lotta,  are  you  in 
good  health  ?  Don't  you  think  you  "could  show 
me  your  tongue  by  way  of  the  electric  telegraph? 
I  greet  your  husband  heartily,  as  well  as  the 
young  folks.  To  the  younger  ladies,  greetings 
at  your  convenience. 

With  love  and  faithfulness, 

H.  HEINE. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        231 
XCIX 

PARIS,  June  7,  1851. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER: 

Again  a  long  time  has  elapsed  since  I  have 
had  news  of  your  good  health.  I  hope  that  you 
have  withstood  well  the  transition  season ;  it  has 
prickled  me  a  bit ;  but,  as  I  imagine,  I  have 
escaped  in  sounder  case  than  last  year.  My 
condition  has  improved  a  little,  though  at  the 
same  time  there  is  still  much  occasion  for  com- 
plaint remaining.  It  has  saddened  me  that 
Gustav  has  given  up  his  journey  hither  for  the 
moment,  owing  to  overmuch  work.  I  have  a 
great  many  visits  from  Germans,  but  they  rarely 
have  anything  pleasant  to  impart.  Yesterday  I 
learned  the  scandalous  history  which  has  com- 
promised the  Gabes  in  your  town  and  the  whole 
Oppenheim  family.  I  mean  the  locking  up  of 
the  Gabes  mother  owing  to  alleged  insanity. 
The  woman  is  here  now  and  everyone  who  hears 
her  adventure  is  outraged.* 

Is  it  really  true  that  Dr.  S.  has  hanged  him- 

*  There  appeared  at  the  time  a  pamphlet  on  the  subject,  ' '  A 
Mother  in  the  Insane  Asylum." 


232        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

self?  I  beg  Lotta  to  tell  me  something  more 
particular  about  it ;  I  can  hardly  believe  it. 
Things  are  beginning  to  look  very  melodramatic 
in  our  family!  *  *  * 

I  received  the  books  long  ago,  and  shall  send 
them  back  again  one  of  these  days  with  hearty 
thanks.  Hearty  greetings  to  Lotta,  the  children, 
and  Ludwig:  the  last  I  have  yet  to  thank  for  his 
recent  letter. 

What  you  write  me  with  regard  to  Dr.  Halle, 
dear  Lotta,  is  proof  of  your  sympathetic  heart ; 
I,  too,  feel  great  interest  in  the  fate  of  the 
remarkable  man,  but  miserliness  may  have 
readily  added  a  good  deal  to  his  monomania. 
Latterly  I  was  visited  by  the  head  of  the  banking 
house  Warschan  in  Konigsberg,  who  is  related 
to  John  F.  in  Berlin,  and  he  told  me  in  con- 
fidence that  the  latter  was  also  nearly  insane; 
that  he  was  ever  lamenting  how  in  his  last  days 
he  would  have  to  starve  for  lack  of  money. 

I  am  still  without  news  of  Campe.  It  stands 
to  reason,  dear  mother,  that  you  do  not  place 
any  faith  in  the  clack  which  the  German 
papers  make  concerning  the  condition  of  my 
health. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE.       233 

During  these  days,  dear  mother,  I  have  been 
more  occupied  with  you  than  you  can  have 
dreamed ;  for  I  have  undertaken  a  general  re- 
vision of  my  papers  and  have  again  looked 
through  all  your  letters  and  Lotta's,  and,  how- 
ever it  pained  me,  have  given  up  all  these 
epistles  to  the  flames  in  order  to  be  certain  that 
no  bad  use  shall  be  made  of  them  through  some 
chance  breach  of  trust.  I  am  of  sure  hope,  dear 
mother,  that  you  agree  with  this  action,  since 
for  no  consideration  on  earth  would  I  be  willing 
to  expose  you  to  the  rude  curiosity  of  persons 
in  the  generation  to  come. 

Keep  me  in  warm  affection  and  write  to  me 
soon. 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

C 

PARIS,  July  9,  1851. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  AND  DEAR  SISTER: 

At  this  moment  I  am  pretty  well  in  health, 
but  I  suffered  badly  with  my  eyes  during  the 
great  heat.  As  I  perceive,  you  have  the  parcel 
of  books  back  again;  but  as  I  could  prepay  only 


234       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

for  a  few  stations,  it  surely  cost  you  a  great  deal 
of  freight.  I  send  you  inclosed  a  new  list  of 
books  among  which  are  a  few  which  I  wish 
very  specially  to  read,  for  instance,  the  novel 
by  Frau  von  Palzow  entitled  "  St.  Roche,"  and 
a  novel  by  Miigge  called  "  Toussaint  Louver- 
ture." 

Here's  that  stupid  fellow  Schiff,*  who  has  pub- 
lished "  Luftschlosser,"  a  book  that  is  not  in  the 
catalogue,  but  which  I  would  much  like  to  read. 
Everything  the  stupid  fellow  writes  is  good  and 
exceedingly  remarkable  ;  and  he  has  more  talent 
than  countless  other  people  who  have  renown. 
So  it  is  in  literature  too — luck  is  everything. 

Dear  Lotta,  read  a  book  which  has  appeared 
with  Campe  called  "  Schief  Levinchen  und 
Mariandel  seine  Kalle ";  it  is  a  masterpiece, 
artistic  and  clever,  and  I  believe  it  is  by  Schiff. 

*  Dr.  H.  Schiff,  a  stepcousin  ;  Heine's  grandfather  married  a 
widow  Schiff  in  second  nuptials.  Schiff  was  a  talented  author, 
but  never  received  the  recognition  which,  according  to  Heine's 
verdict,  he  deserved.  Having  got  down  in  the  world  through 
drink,  he  was  given  up  for  hopeless  by  the  family  and  died  in  the 
Hamburg  Hospital.  Owing  to  his  friendship  with  Strodtmann 
there  arose  in  the  latter's  biography  of  Heine,  through  statements 
made  by  Schiff,  a  great  many  inexact  and  wrong  statements  con- 
cerning the  private  and  family  relations  of  the  poet. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        235 

As  I  hear,  dear  Lotta,  you  are  entertaining  the 
idea  of  getting  for  me  the  "  Geschichte  der 
Komischen  Litteratur  "  by  Flogel ;  I  therefore 
hasten  to  notify  you  that  some  time  ago  I  had 
it  procured  and  therefore  do  not  need  it. 

Mr.  Wirth  has  sent  me  word  that  Campe  is 
about  to  visit  me  here  in  Paris  this  month;  don't 
let  him  notice  anything  if  he  does  not  tell  you 
himself ;  yet  on  this  occasion  I  might  well  avail 
myself  of  the  chance  to  have  the  books  brought 
here  by  Campe.  The  young  man  of  whom  you 
made  note  has  not  yet  appeared  at  my  house 
and  you  can  be  assured  that  I  have  understood 
entirely  your  meaning.  Unhappily  I  have  to 
burn  my  dear  Lotta's  joyous  letters  at  once ; 
nevertheless  I  must  not  omit  it. 

My  dear  Nanny  might  often  write  to  me  when 
she  does  not  have  too  much  to  do  ;  this  corre- 
spondence would  certainly  be  most  pleasurable  to 
me.  I  send  regards  to  Ludwig  and  Lena  too. 
As  for  my  dear  mother,  whom  I  love  more  than 
all  the  cats  in  the  world,  I  kiss  her  twenty-five 
times.  My  wife  sends  greetings  and  perspires. 
Your  faithful  son  and  brother, 

H.   HEINE. 


236        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Heine  felt  bitterly  hurt  by  the  moody  silence 
of  his  publisher  and  very  likely  it  had  come  to  a 
break  with  Campe  if  the  latter  had  not  suddenly 
come  to  Paris,  urged  by  his  own  interests,  when 
he  learned  through  Mr.  Georg  Wirth  that  the 
poet  had  finished  a  large  book  notwithstanding  his 
sickly  state.  Heine  intended  to  issue  this  work, 
the  "  Romanzero,"  only  after  death  ;  but  he  gave 
up  this  resolve  at  the  urgent  request  of  Campe, 
and  the  latter  bought  the  work  for  the  sum  of  six 
thousand  marks.  When  his  o\vn  interest  was 
at  stake  Campe  could  be  extremely  pleasant  and 
at  the  first  meeting  knew  how  to  change  the 
poet's  mood  to  his  own  profit.  Before  the  agree- 
ment as  to  price  Campe  had  not  examined  at  all 
the  contents  of  the  manuscript  and  when  Heine 
asked  him  how  he  could  pay  a  notable  price  for 
a  book  without  having  first  read  it,  he  replied : 
"That  is  unnecessary;  what  Heine  writes  is 
fine."  The  poet  was  by  no  means  unimpres- 
sionable by  flattery  of  that  kind  and  this  im- 
perturbable trust  in  the  creations  of  his  brain 
was  enough  to  strengthen  once  more  the  some- 
what loosened  bond  of  friendship  with  his  pub- 
lisher. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        237 

CI 

PARIS,  August  21,  1851. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  duly  received  your  last  letter.  I  have  no 
great  opinion  of  homeopathy,  but  next  year  I 
shall  certainly  do  something  important  for  my 
health,  for  I  shall  make  a  visit  to  the  baths  of 
Gastein  and  on  this  occasion  probably  go  by  way 
of  Hamburg.  For  more  than  two  years  now  I 
have  taken  no  medicine.  My  state  of  health 
improves  very  slowly,  but  the  improvement  is 
not  to  be  ignored. 

The  arrival  of  Gustav  was  a  great  pleasure 
to  me  ;  for  the  last  six  days  he  has  been 
here  with  his  wife  and  toward  the  end  of  next 
week  he  journeys  home  by  way  of  Hamburg. 
So  he  will  tell  you  much  about  me  by  word 
of  mouth,  and  to  you  also,  dear  Lotta,  he  will 
impart  by  word  of  mouth  everything  which  I 
have  to  say  to  you.  During  the  coming  weeks 
I  can  write  but  little,  since  my  German  secretary 
lives  in  the  country  and  very  rarely  comes  to 
Paris  for  an  hour.  Besides  this,  you  can  easily 
believe  that  I  would  dictate  a  letter  to  you 


238       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

through  very  few  of  the  Germans  here  who  some- 
times help  me  out  with  a  pen. 

Perhaps  I  shall  send  to  Campe  by  Gustav  the 
entire  manuscript  of  a  book,  and  this  can  proba- 
bly be  printed  in  two  months.  Gustav's  arrival 
has  excited  me  very  much  and  I  shall  probably 
be  capable  of  no  work  for  a  fortnight ;  we  clack 
from  morning  till  night.  We  laugh  all  the 
time  and  my  wife  laughs  with  us  ;  my  parrot 
screams  in  between  without  either  of  them  under- 
standing what  the  talk  is  about.  My  wife  finds 
that  Gustav  has  a  strong  resemblance  to  me. 

At  this  moment  Gustav  has  the  pleasure  of 
learning  that  the  vagabond  with  whom  he  re- 
cently had  a  lawsuit  in  Vienna,  the  editor  of  a 
rival  paper,  is  to  be  presently  bidden  to  leave 
Vienna. 

And  now  farewell ;  greet  Ludwig,  Lena  and 
Anna,  the  last  of  whom  I  heartily  thank  for  her 
gay  letter. 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

After  Campe's  departure  Heine  was  surprised 
by  the  arrival  of  his  brother  Gustav,  who  had 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        239 

come  to  Paris  with  his  wife  for  a  visit  of  a  short 
period.  The  best  understanding  existed  between 
the  brothers,  and  many  a  jocose  remark  was  ex- 
changed between  the  two. 

On  his  brother's  question  whether  it  was  really 
true  that  he  had  married  a  sister  of  charity  Heine 
answered  :  "  No,  rather  have  I  become  a  monk, 
and  pray  God  every  day  that  he  may  impart  to 
you,  dear  brother,  better  political  views." 

To  Gustav's  demand  whether  he  should  not 
pronounce  himself  openly  in  the  Fremdenblatt  con- 
cerning his  religious  change  of  views  Heine 
rejoined  :  "  What  possible  difference  can  it  make 
to  the  big  white  elephant  of  the  King  of  Siam  if 
a  wee  little  mouse  in  the  Rue  d'Amsterdam  at 
Paris  believes  or  does  not  believe  in  his  grandeur 
and  wisdom  ?  " 

On  his  departure  Heine  gave  his  brother 
Gustav  the  manuscript  of  the  "  Romanzero,"  who 
brought  it  to  Campe  in  Hamburg.  To  the  vex- 
ation of  Heine  this  meeting  unfortunately  pro- 
duced fresh  misunderstandings  and  quarrels  with 
his  publisher.  In  October,  a  few  months  later, 
appeared  the  "  Romanzero,"  which  added  new 
sprays  to  the  poet's  laurels. 


240       FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

It  was  generally  considered  a  marvel  that 
Heine  was  able  to  create  this  clever  work  during 
the  frightful  tortures  of  his  sick  bed  and  pre- 
serve unweakened  his  strength  of  mind  and 
poetic  fire. 

Almost  at  the  same  time  with  the  "  Roman- 
zero  "  appeared  "  Der  Doctor  Faust,"  a  Tanzfoem, 
to  which  were  added  later  in  his  miscellaneous 
works  the  pantomime-libretto  ''Die  Gottin  Di- 
ana "  and  "  Die  Gotter  in  Exil."* 

CII 

PARIS,  December  5,  1851. 
DEAREST  MOTHER: 

As  the  greatest  excitement  is  abroad  in  Paris 
at  this  moment,  and  yesterday  and  day  before 
yesterday  much  bloodshed  occurred,  I  hasten  to 
report  to  you  that  I  am  in  excellent  health  and 
beyond  the  reach  of  every  danger.  At  least  this 
advantage  exists  in  my  sickness  :  I  do  not  mix  in 
the  combat  of  partisans.  If  I  had  been  well  I 
might  at  this  moment  have  had  the  chance  to  be 
wounded  or  even  shot  to  death. 

*  These  three  pieces  are  found  in  vol.  viii.  of  the  library  edition, 
— TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H BIN  RICH  HEINE.        241 

Unfortunately,  at  every  sound  of  tumult  my 
wife  cannot  refrain  from  sticking  her  nose  out  on 
the  street  and  yesterday  was  caught  in  the  middle 
of  musketry  fire.  Unhappily  I  have  no  commands 
at  all  to  give  in  France,  and  as  in  every  part  of  the 
country,  the  needful  authority  is  lacking  in  my 
abode. 

I  fear  that  things  are  still  going  ill  with  Louis 
Napoleon.  Unluckily  he  has  not  grasped  the 
fact  that  the  French,  it  is  true,  do  not  love  the 
Republic  but  still  wish  to  hold  on  to  it.  A  thing 
is  not  readily  surrendered  which  has  been  won  at 
such  cost. 

How  many  people,  are  there  not?  who  feel  re- 
sentment to  their  mistress  but  still  cannot  make 
up  their  mind  to  forsake  the  woman  for  whom 
they  have  spent  so  much  money ! 

I  have  received  the  little  box  of  books,  and 
thank  you  for  the  invoice.  I  hope  that  the  list, 
which  was  not  sent  back  to  me,  has  not  gone 
astray ;  answer  me  on  this  point.  I  have  had  a 
letter  from  Gustav;  he  writes  that  he  loves  his 
wife  very  much.  Unfortunately  I  perceive  that 
he  has  not  carried  out  my  business  in  the  way 
he  made  me  believe  he  would,  and  in  this  con- 


242        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

nection  I  fear  I  shall  reap  a  harvest  of  new  vex- 
ations. 

I  told  you  in  my  last  letter  that  I  had  paid  back 
everything  to  Gustav  ;  nor  do  I  doubt  that  you 
have  felt  why  I  mention  such  things.  I  am  a 
sick  man,  and  the  hour  might  easily  arrive  in 
which  speech  may  be  impossible. 

I  greet  you  heartily,  dear  Lotta ;  remember  me 
to  your  husband  and  kiss  my  two  nieces  and  my 
nephew,  whom  we  always  recall  here  with  great 
love.  My  squanderer  has  bought  her  a  green  dress 
which  I  call  the  Vitzliputzli  gown.*  For  I  have 
calculated  that  the  gown  will  cost  as  much  as 
the  money  earned  by  the  poem  "  Vitzliputzli  " 
which  is  found  in  the  "  Romanzero."  We  live  in 
the  most  perfect  harmony,  in  the  loveliest,  cost- 
liest peace  !  We  often  talk  of  you  all  and  often 
clack  till  midnight  about  dear  mother.  When 
Nanny  writes  I  pray  her  to  take  very  black  ink, 
since  I  always  read  my  family  letters  myself  and 
in  winter  particularly  my  eyes  are  very  weak. 

The  "  Romanzero  "  excites   more   enthusiasm 


*  Referring  to  his  poem  which  alludes  to  the  old  Mexican  god  of 
war  of  that  name,  whose  symbol  is  the  humming  bird  with  its  neck 
of  brilliant,  changing  green.  See  vol.  iii.  pp.  61-76. — TR. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        243 

than  I  expected.  I  assure  you  it  is  a  very  weak 
book  ;  but  you  must  not  repeat  that.  I  wrote  it 
with  my  powers  lamed. 

I  hope,  dear  mother,  that  you  are  very  well, 
and  I  shall  always  arrange  my  health  according  to 
yours.  You  know  what  I  mean. 

Write  to  me  soon  and  much. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

Heine  was  no  worshiper  of  Napoleon  III  and 
as  early  as  1849  uttered  the  following: 

"A  coup d'ttat  is  an  open  secret.  People  gossip 
so  much  about  it  that  they  end  by  no  longer  believ- 
ing in  it ;  but  it  is  not  going  to  stay  away.  The 
President  is  working  on  the  model  of  his  uncle 
and  marches  on  to  an  eighteenth  Brumaire.  Up, 
then,  and  at  it ! 

"  When  the  Republic  was  proclaimed  about  a 
year  ago,  the  world  obtained  the  impression  that 
something  which  was  nothing  but  a  dream  and 
ought  to  be  a  dream  only  had  become  a  reality. 
But  I  have  the  unhappiness  to  know  France  only 
too  exactly  through  my  residence  here  for  years, 
and  I  am  not  at  all  in  the  dark  concerning  what 
we  have  to  expect. 


244       FA  MIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

"  The  Republic  is  nothing  more  than  a  change 
of  name,  a  revolutionary  title.  How  in  the  world 
could  this  corrupt,  effeminate  society  change  so 
quickly?  To  make  money,  seize  on  offices,  ride 
in  a  coach  and  four,  own  a  box  at  the  theater 
and  to  chase  from  one  pleasure  to  another — that 
was  their  ideal  hitherto.  Where  could  these  fel- 
lows have  so  carefully  hidden  away  their  stock  of 
civic  virtues?  Believe  me,  Paris  is  thoroughly 
Napoleonist — I  mean  that  here  is  the  rule  of  the 
Napoleon  d'or."'* 

cm 

PARIS,  January  28,  1852. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  : 

Eight  days  ago  I  dispatched  to  you  the  chest 
of  books,  and  by  this  you  must  have  duly  re- 
ceived them.  The  list  of  books,  to  wit,  the  books 
of  which  I  wrote  down  the  titles,  has  not  been 
sent  back  to  me  from  Hamburg  of  late,  and  to- 
day I  must  send  you  over  a  new  list  to  boot.  In 
order  to  be  sure  that  it  shall  not  go  astray  again  I 
beg  that  you  will  have  it  copied  at  once.  Campe 

*  The  coup  (Ptiat  thus  foretold  took  place  ;  next  year  Napoleon 
III  placed  upon  his  own  head  the  imperial  crown,  and  the  down- 
fall of  the  emperor  took  place  fourteen  years  after  the  death  of 
the  poet. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.        245 

can  use  the  new  invoice  of  books,  which  Lotta 
will  arrange,  in  order  to  pack  among  them  a  few 
books  of  his  own  on  this  occasion.  I  hope  you 
are  all  well,  and  so  far  as  I  am  concerned  I  find 
myself  still  in  the  same  disgruntled  frame  of  mind. 

There  is  so  much  evil  being  done  in  the  world 
just  now  that  I  am  actually  anxious  and  scared, 
and  feel  myself  more  uncomfortable  than  ever 
in  this  wretched  skin  of  mine.  Unhappily  my 
wife  also  is  in  a  bad  temper,  a  direct  result,  it  is 
true,  of  corporeal  reasons.  She  suffers  a  good 
deal  from  headache.  Winter  creeps  along  in 
mournful  fashion  and  I  shall  be  glad  when  it  is 
gone.  My  relations  with  the  family  are  at  this 
moment  very  objectionable,  and  that  without  my 
fault.  We  speak  constantly  of  you,  and  I  hope 
my  dear  Lotta  you  will  soon  send  us  a  very  gay 
letter.  God  keep  you  all  and  grant  you  health, 
which,  as  I  notice  unfortunately  too  late  for  my- 
self, is  the  main  point. 

Here  in  Paris  things  are  all  in  a  snarl  and  we 
look  forward  to  a  mad  to-morrow.  Those  who  are 
well  will  shoot  each  other  down,  but  the  sickly 
have  nothing  to  risk,  and  so  you  can  be  without 
anxiety  on  my  account.  I  send  hearty  greeting 


246       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

to  my  nieces,  as  well  as  to  my  nephew.     Farewell, 
my  dear,  kind  mother,  and  keep  in  affection 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

Heine  wrought  industriously  on  the  complete 
edition  of  his  works  in  French  and  the  clever 
and  often  enthusiastic  criticism  of  the  works 
which  had  appeared  before  was  a  new  spur  to 
him  to  make  the  French  public  acquainted  with 
the  product  of  his  genius. 

Les  CEuvres  completes  de  Henri  Heine,  seven 
volumes  of  which  had  appeared  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  won  the  most  brilliant  success  and 
placed  him  in  the  ranks  of  the  first  authors  of 
France.  Heine  himself  translated  the  prose 
works  in  the  most  careful  way,  and  all  the  finest 
witty  points  are  reflected  therein  after  a 
masterly  fashion.  In  the  preface  to  the  French 
edition  of  his  poems  Heine  does  full  justice  to 
the  friends  who  undertook  the  difficult  labor  of 
translating  from  the  German.  Particularly  was 
he  unable  to  think  without  emotion  of  his  friend 
Gerard  de  Nerval,*  who  during  the  evenings  of 

*  This  talented  young  French  writer  committed  suicide,  having 
fallen  into  a  melancholy.  He  wrote  a  book  on  Germany. — TR. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       247 

March  1848  visited  him  every  day  in  his  isola- 
tion near  the  Barriere  de  la  SantJ  in  order  to 
work  with  him  on  the  translation  of  his  peaceful 
German  fantasies,  the  while  all  about  raged  the 
passions  of  politics  and  the  monarchy  went  down 
with  a  frightful  noise.  Deep  in  their  idyllic  and 
aesthetic  conversations,  the  two  did  not  hear  the 
cry  of  the  masses  which  was  then  sounding 
through  Paris — the  masses  howling  their  song, 
Des  Lampions  !  des  lampions  !  the  Marsellaise  of 
the  February  Revolution. 

Heine  also  spoke  with  gratitude  of  his  later 
translators,  while  pointing  out  the  temerity  of 
the  attempt  to  render  in  the  tongue  of  a 
Romanic  people  the  most  profound  and  intimate 
thoughts  of  a  poetical  work  belonging  to  a 
speech  of  the  Germanic  stock. 

His  poems  were  translated  into  French  partly 
in  metrical  form,  partly  in  rhyme  by  Ren6 
Taillandier,  Gerard  de  Nerval  and  Marelle ;  but 
these  translators  allowed  themselves,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  rhyming,  many  licenses,  so  that  in  the 
metrical  rendering  the  easy  and  poetic  harmony 
of  the  rhythm  found  in  the  original  was  lost. 
Heine  himself  jested  at  the  way  and  fashion 


248       FAMIL  Y  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

the  tender,  fragrant  offspring  of  his  muse  had 
been  treated,  which  in  translation  sounded  about 
as  sensible  and  prosaic  as  "  bits  of  moonshine 
packed  in  straw  "  !  It  seemed  to  him  while  read- 
ing these  translations  as  if  somebody  had  taken 
him  by  the  scalp  lock,  dragged  him  to  the  open 
market  place,  and  called  out,  Hit  him  !  Hit  him  ! 
"Verily  it  seems  to  me  as  if  I  had  looted  the 
safe  containing  my  literary  worth  in  Germany 
and  now  were  engaged  at  Paris  in  turning  all  my 
booty  into  money.  Every  time  a  German  comes 
to  see  me  a  cold  chill  runs  down  my  back,  as  if  he 
were  a  secret  agent  of  the  German  Parnassus  who 
had  obtained  from  the  French  Government  my 
surrender  and  intended  to  lead  me  back  thither 
where  is  howling  and  gnashing  of  teeth — I  mean 
back  to  Germany.  Yea,  even  after  one  thousand 
years  have  fled,  I  shall  still  be  slandered,  and  all 
on  account  of  these  unfortunate  translators  !  " 

CIV 

PARIS,  April  12,  1852. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

To-day  I  only  want  to  notify  you  that  to-mor- 
row I  shall  send  off  to  your  address  by  express 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       249 

to  Hamburg,  a  chest  in  which,  besides  the  books 
that  I  borrowed  from  the  circulating  library,  there 
is  still  another  parcel  which  is  meant  for  my 
dear  sister,  Mrs.  von  Embden. 

Among  the  books  there  is  also  the  volume  of  my 
tragedies  which  you  lent  me  in  Hamburg,  as  well 
as  two  examples  of  my  bronze  medallion,  one  of 
which  likewise  was  lent  me  by  you  in  Hamburg  in 
order  that  I  might  have  more  copies  cast  from  it 
here.  One  copy  of  the  medallion,  then,  you  are 
to  keep  for  yourself  as  before,  and  the  other  copy 
of  the  medallion  please  send  to  Campe,  to  whom 
I  have  promised  it.  The  box  must  be  opened 
with  the  greatest  care  in  order  that  the  parcel  for 
Lotta  which  is  therein  shall  not  be  damaged ;  for 
it  contains  a  silk  gown,  the  very  newest  which 
the  season  has  brought  forth,  and  exceedingly  in 
good  taste,  since  my  squanderer  has  chosen  it. 
You  can  rest  assured  that  my  wife  obtains  more 
pleasure  through  this  gift  than  if  such  a  gown 
had  been  presented  to  her.  She  is  unfortunately 
still  affected  with  headaches  very  often.  We 
live  in  great  unity,  and  she  makes  use  of  all  her 
charm  in  order  to  make  me  forget  my  sickly  con- 
dition. 


25°       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

I  am  taken  care  of  in  the  most  extraordinary 
way,  and  yet  she  is  my  only  bitterness — to  use 
my  old  phrase.  She  asks  to  be  heartily  re- 
membered to  you  all.  I  do  the  same  and 
send  compliments  to  the  whole  Goosemarket 
family !  * 

If  I  only  knew  of  someone  to  carry  off  my 
Nanny  from  the  Goosemarket !  She  must  make 
a  very  nice  dish  by  this  time,  particularly  if 
stuffed  with  golden  chestnuts  and  raisins.  Nice 
behavior,  simplicity  in  outward  appearance, 
avoidance  of  everything  that  calls  attention  to 
her,  absence  of  coquetry,  love  of  truth  and 
sweetness  of  temper  are  the  traits  which  are 
of  greatest  use  to  young  women. 

Do  write  me  whether  the  chest  came  duly  to 
hand ;  you  must  have  had  to  pay  again  an 
enormous  freight,  dear  mother,  and  I  am  unable 
to  arrange  it  otherwise,  because  the  Cologne  for- 
warders— a  veritable  band  of  robbers — blackmail 
each  box.  But  these  are  the  last  books  which  I 
shall  have  sent  me  in  this  way,  for  the  reason 
alone  that  the  circulating  library  does  not  offer 

*  His  brother-in-law  had  left  his  former  home  and  moved  into  a 
dwelling  on  the  corner  of  the  Goosemarket  and  the  Jungfernstieg. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        251 

me  much  I  can  use.      I  shall  make  me   better 
and  cheaper  channels. 

Often  if  you  do  not  get  a  letter  from  me  for  a 
long  while,  I  can  explain  it  thus:  I  have  not 
always  at  hand  a  trusted  friend  to  whom  I  can 
dictate  German.  If  I  go  into  the  country  this 
summer  you  will  often  have  to  wait  for  a  letter. 

I  love  you  with  my  whole  soul. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

CV 

PARIS,  June  12,  1852. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  AND  DEAR  SISTER: 

Your  letter,  dear,  kind  mother,  as  well  as 
Lotta's  epistle,  in  which  brother's  arrival  is  an- 
nounced, has  filled  me  with  the  greatest  pleasure. 
I  can  imagine  the  excitement  into  which  this 
delightful  surprise  has  plunged  you.  I  look  for- 
ward with  impatient  expectation  to  the  time 
when  I  shall  embrace  my  dear  Max  after  such  a 
long  separation.  All  is  the  same  with  my  health  ; 
it  is  as  wearisome  as  repulsive  to  me  if  I  have 
to  be  always  threshing  over  again  this  subject  en 
detail.  And  I  now  never  talk  about  my  health 


252       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

any  more  with  those  who  come  to  see  me.  I 
see  my  doctors  little  and  am  in  need  of  nothing; 
but  am  highly  curious  to  hear  what  Max  has  to 
say  to  me.  You  must  assuredly  write  to  me 
the  time  at  which  I  may  expect  him  here,  be- 
cause owing  to  my  nervous  disease  even  pleasant 
surprises  are  not  good  for  me.  My  wife  is  warned 
not  to  give  me  any  surprise  which  she  has  not 
exactly  heralded  twenty-four  hours  earlier. 

I  hope  that  mother  is  well  and  that  you  are 
all  sound  and  bright.  Gustav  will  of  course  come 
to  Hamburg. 

My  wife  seems  pretty  well ;  she  complains 
that  she  is  not  as  pretty  as  before  and  for  that 
reason  must  wear  more  good  clothes  ;  I  insist 
upon  the  exact  opposite — chiefly  owing  to  the 
cost  of  decorations!  She  has  had  her  portrait 
taken,  but  is  not  at  all  pleased  with  it ;  to  obtain 
peace  and  quiet  I  have  to  "  cuss  "  that  portrait. 
But  really  she  looks  better  in  natura  than  en 
effigie.  But  sometimes  I'm  fonder  of  the  picture, 
because  it  never  scolds.* 

And  now  farewell.     Greetings  to  my  nephew 

*  For  verses  written  in  exasperation  at  his  wife's  moods,  see 
vol.  iii.  293.  In  better  moods,  pp.  121,  279,  285  and  286.— TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        253 

and  nieces  and  kisses  to  the  latter.  Dear  Lotta, 
I  have  written  to  Campe  to  have  books  sent 
hither  with  Max.  But  let  him  understand  as 
soon  as  possible  that  this  would  cause  too  much 
delay,  and  that  I  beg  him,  in  case  no  other  occasion 
comes  to  hand,  to  send  me  the  books  without 
delay  by  the  railroad,  post  or  the  steamer. 
Don't  forget  this. 

How  delighted  I  am  to  see  my  Max  again  !  I 
hardly  believed  that  I  should  live  long  enough 

for  this  joy. 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

CVI 

PARIS,  August  2,  1852. 
MY  DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  AND  SISTER  : 

The  departure  of  Max  gave  me  great  anguish 
and  I  am  as  it  were  crushed  by  sorrow.  It  is  a 
great  joy  to  see  one  another  again  after  so  long 
a  separation,  but  one  has  to  pay  dearly  for  it 
with  the  anguish  of  separation.  My  wife  is  in 
the  same  mood  and  Calypso  could  not  have  been 
more  sorrowful  at  the  departure  of  Ulysses  than 
my  squanderer  has  been  at  the  departure  of  Max. 
The  latter  struck  a  bad  streak  here,  since  he  came 


254       FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

bang  into  the  great  hot  term,  and  I,  whom  it  ex- 
hausted frightfully,  could  not  spare  him  a  single 
well  hour.  I  suffered  much  from  the  heat,  but  now 
that  the  weather  is  better  I  am  on  the  mend.  Max 
will  give  you  news  by  word  of  mouth  concerning 
everything  that  relates  to  me,  and  for  some  time 
I  shall  need  to  write  you  little  ;  that  suits  me  well, 
since  at  the  moment  I  am  very  much  occupied. 

We  have  talked  about  you  constantly  in  all 
trustiness  and  tenderness.  We  have  been  much 
amused  at  Ludwig's  remark  about  the  miracu- 
lous stigmata  of  our  martyr.  We  love  him  at 
bottom  quite  unusually  ;  he  has  such  a  kind  heart. 
I  send  kisses  to  my  niece  Anna,  and  to  my  own 
Lena,  who  is  a  very  nice  girl.  Write  to  me  as 
soon  as  Max  arrives. 

Is  Carl  in  Hamburg?  Max  will  tell  you  how 
much  trouble  and  care  it  takes  in  Paris  to  arrange 
one's  self  comfortably  if  one  is  sickly,  how  my 
squanderer  attends  to  my  nursing,  and  that  noth- 
ing is  lacking  or  forgotten  which  can  be  procured 
for  money.  There  is  no  saving;  on  the  con- 
trary ;  but  the  main  point — rest — is  very  difficult 
to  procure  in  this  place.  And  yet  Paris  affords 
me  greater  advantages  than  other  places,  where 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        255 

much  more  vexatious  torments  would  be  sure  to 
await  me.     My  wife  asks  to  be  heartily  remem- 
bered, and  there  are  few  fat  women  who  are  as 
sweet  and  lovable  in  this  heat  as  she. 
I  embrace  you  both,  and  am 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

CVII 

PARIS,  September  30,  1852. 
DEAREST  MOTHER: 

I  delayed  writing  because  beforehand  I  wanted 
to  await  a  letter  from  Max  at  Hamburg;  but  it 
appears  that  he  has  left  you  without  having 
written  me  before  he  went,  according  to  our 
compact,  which  is  a  great  and  unpardonable 
piece  of  negligence  concerning  which  I  shall 
say  nothing,  because  otherwise  I  might  express 
myself  too  bitterly.  I,  who  by  reason  of  my 
sickness  do  not  have  my  arms  free  and  often  sit 
in  a  great  whirl  of  work,  I  nevertheless  do  not 
neglect  the  least  detail,  and  Max,  who  is  oc- 
cupied with  care  of  himself  alone,  acts  frivolously, 
as  a  poet  would  scarcely  have  a  right  to  do. 

I  hope  that  both  of  you  are  feeling  well,  and 


256       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

from  you,  mother,  I  hope  soon  to  see  letters.  I 
write  you  to-day  chiefly  in  order  to  notify  you 
that  I  am  sending  to  your  address,  and  that  per 
steamer  from  Havre,  a  chest  of  books  which  un- 
fortunately I  can  prepay  only  as  far  as  Havre ; 
so  I  must  again  beg  that  you  will  lay  out  a 
goodly  sum  for  me,  and  beg  you  to  tell  me 
exactly  how  much  it  cost.  In  the  box  is  a  lot  of 
books  which  Lotta's  manager  of  the  circulating 
library  Mr.  Jovien  sent  me  hither  without 
being  requested.  I  beg  you  to  see  that  they  go 
back  with  much  thanks  (since  one  should  be 
thankful  for  any  and  every  courtesy),  but  accom- 
panied by  the  prayer  that  he  should  never  again 
send  me  books  hither  which  I  have  not  ordered 
in  accordance  with  my  own  selection,  since  he 
could  not  know  that  I  cared  to  read  a  single  one 
of  them  ;  and  so  pay  freight  expenses  to  no  pur- 
pose. Then  you  will  find  in  the  box  another  lot 
of  books,  all  of  which  have  on  their  title  pages 
the  stamp  of  Bernhardt's  circulating  library  and 
moreover  have  rose-colored  tickets  for  numbers 
on  the  back,  while  the  books  from  Jovien  carry  a 
green  number-ticket  on  the  back.  These  books 
from  the  Bernhardt  circulating  library  were  sent 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        257 

me  by  Campe.  I  beg  Lotta  to  take  exact  care 
that  the  books  be  not  mixed  together. 

Perhaps  you  have  learned  from  Max  how  I 
fell  into  confusion  through  Gustav's  unsuitable 
conversation  with  Campe.  Since  Gustav  is  my 
brother  and  at  the  worst  committed  a  stupidity 
through  too  much  zeal,  certainly  I  shall  be  the 
last  to  growl  at  him  for  so  doing.  Let  him 
gossip  about  me  as  much  as  he  chooses,  and  even 
about  my  wife,  as  Max  says ;  let  him  follow  his 
natural  character  as  he  will,  since  I  have  known 
him  to  possess  always  that  character  and  for  forty 
years  have  ever  forgiven  him  ;  he  shall  always  be 
to  me  the  beloved  brother  whose  finer  traits  I 
value  all  the  more.  And  it  is  not  to  be  denied 
that  he  has  good  qualities.  I  know  him  through 
and  through  and  understand  exactly  the  gene- 
alogy of  his  faults.  He  is  not  the  first  of  his  sort. 
The  censorship  does  not  permit  me  to  say  more. 

And  now,  dear  Lotta,  how  is  it  with  you  ? 
How  is  your  youthful  brood  ?  the  two  big  pullets 
and  the  boy?  I  talk  about  you  with  my  wife 
every  day ;  she  asks  to  be  heartily  remembered. 
I  am  not  so  badly  off  in  health.  At  the  opening 
of  the  season  I  had  a  rough  time,  but  now  I  am 


258       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

feeling  very  well.  I  am  well  cared  for  and  work 
but  little.  In  no  event  shall  I  do  work  for 
nothing.  Everything  is  quiet  here,  and  as  Gus- 
tav  is  not  present,  we  live  in  peace  and  harmony. 
Is  Carl  still  in  Hamburg?  Let  me  know.  Any- 
how, write  to  me  soon. 

Here  is  the  page  ended,  and  I  embrace  you  both. 
Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

CVIII 

PARIS,  December  29,  1852. 
DEAREST,   KIND   MOTHER,    MY    DEAR,   KIND 

SISTER,  AND  EVERYTHING  ELSE  THAT  BUMPS 

AND  BOUNCES  ABOUT  You  : 

I  have  received  with  pleasure  the  letter  which 
speaks  of  mother's  birthday  festival,  and  greatly 
was  I  delighted  thereat.  To-day  I  send  congratu- 
lation for  the  new  year,  which  announces  itself 
pretty  kindly  for  me.  I  cherish  the  hope  that 
the  new  year  will  be  better  than  the  old.  I 
hardly  need  to  tell  you  now  that  I  wish  you 
everything  that  is  nice  and  good.  May  Heaven 
keep  you  in  health,  harmony  and  sweetness  of 
mood !  My  wife  also  asks  me  to  give  her  con- 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        259 

gratulations,  and  is  just  in  the  act  of  decorating 
the  windows  with  new  white  curtains  in  order  to 
receive  the  new  year  in  a  courteous  fashion. 
Her  mood  is  extremely  charming,  and  this  year 
she  makes  fewer  New  Year  presents — which  verily 
is  a  step  in  advance  !  She  sends  friendly  greeting 
to  my  nephew  Ludwig  and  I  too  send  regards 
to  Ludwig  as  well  as  to  my  brother-in-law  Moritz. 
I  send  hearty  greeting  also  to  Anna  and  Lena 
and  shall  find  occasion  before  the  end  of  next 
month  to  let  them  know  that  they  have  in 
Paris  an  uncle  who  loves  them  greatly. 

I  kiss  my  darling  mother  all  over  her  face, 
and  both  hdr  dear  hands  too.  My  wife  says 
that  dear  mother  must  certainly  have  looked 
very  well  in  the  new  cap. 

And  now  farewell.     Write  to  me  much,  and 

keep  in  affection 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 
CIX 

PARIS,  March  18,  1853. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

It  is  not  my  fault  if  I  do  not  write  to  you 
oftener,  for  my  German  secretary  is  sick  now- 


260       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

adays  and  can  rarely  come  to  see  me.  That  is 
why  I  delayed  sending  an  answer  at  once  to 
your  last  letter.  You  complain  because  I  do  not 
write  with  my  own  hand.  Don't  do  that  any 
more,  otherwise  I  shall  write  you  with  my  own 
hand,  but  that  effort  will  cost  me  every  time  a 
headache  for  three  days.  If  I  strain  my  eyes  in 
the  slightest  degree  I  get  my  old  headaches  back 
again,  and  you  know  what  that  means.  When  I 
write,  that  is,  when  I  use  my  own  hand,  it  has 
always  to  be  done  with  a  pencil,  and  the  result 
is  very  illegible;  but  illegibility  does  not  do 
at  all  for  letters,  and  besides,  I  should  confine 
myself  to  the  most  necessary  information  alone. 
At  this  moment  I  have  much  to  do  and  can 
spare  myself  but  little.  As  long  as  a  man  is 
alive  he  must  carry  on  his  work,  and  in  my 
isolated  condition  nobody  can  help  me. 

My  wife  is  in  good  health  and  at  this  moment 
is  very  happy  because  I  have  bought  for  a  con- 
siderable sum  a  lot  of  linen  for  the  household. 
Linen  gives  her  more  pleasure  than  pretty 
clothes,  and  that  is  very  praiseworthy.  We  live 
in  great  unity,  that  is,  I  yield  in  all  things.  We 
are  ever  talking  of  you  both— and  now  farewell. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  H  El N RICH  HEINE.       261 

I  greet  you  heartily,  my  dear  Lotta,  and  kiss 
you  and  your  children.  In  your  next  letter, 
dear  Lotta,  do  write  me  down  the  number  on 
the  Goosemarket  in  case  I  should  have  to  send 
anyone  to  your  address. 

Latterly  Dr.  Wille  visited  me ;  he  lives  now  in 
Zurich.  It  is  a  great  question  whether  Therese 
will  visit  me  if  she  comes  to  Paris.  I  doubt  it 
much,  because  in  every  possible  way  they  will  try 
to  prevent  it. 

I  kiss  you  both. 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

CX 

PARIS,  May  7,  1853. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  : 

About  eight  days  ago  I  received  a  letter  from 
our  Lotta,  but  as  not  a  line  from  you  was  within, 
the  assurance  of  sister  that  you  are  in  good 
health  is  not  so  very  satisfactory,  and  I  beg  you 
to  send  me  a  few  words  very  soon.  I  am  in  my 
ordinary  state  and  my  wife  too  is  at  the  present 
moment  well.  She  has  been  very  wretched,  as  in 
general  she  is  not  entirely  strong  and  perhaps  in 


262       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

later  years  will  have  to  bear  a  good  deal  of  pain, 
or  else,  since  she  has  no  talent  for  a  quiet  life  of 
sickliness,  she  will  not  reach  any  great  age.  At 
the  present  time  we  find  ourselves  in  such  a 
tender  harmony  of  spirit  that  the  angels  might 
well  envy  us ;  and  this  creature,  kind  to  the 
depths  of  her  soul,  in  whose  heart  not  one  drop 
is  false,  and  who  does  not  so  much  as  conceive 
the  wickedness  of  the  world — verily  she  sweetens 
for  me  my  sufferings  ! 

An  article  by  me  in  a  French  review  has  had 
frightful  success,*  but  to  my  greatest  bitterness 
I  must  learn  that  this  fine  work  has  been  pub- 
lished in  Berlin  by  a  wretched  German  book- 
seller in  a  wretched  German  translation,  and  that 
not  at  all  in  a  periodical,  which  would  have  been 
all  the  same  to  me,  but  as  a  separate  pamphlet, 
at  the  appearance  of  which  Campe  has  again 
shown  the  most  violent  excitement.  Through 
this  publication  goes  to  pieces  a  scheme  to  pub- 
lish the  work  in  question  this  very  year,  for 
which  I  have  still  to  write  a  continuation,  bound 
up  with  other  articles.  Thus  is  my  property 
stolen  away  from  under  my  own  nose  by  my  be- 

*  Les  Dieux  en  Exil  in  the  Revtie  des  Deux  Mondes. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        263 

loved  fellow-countrymen  and  great  damages 
done  me  for  the  sake  of  a  little  profit.  Never- 
theless  I  shall  not  begin  any  row,  as  Campe 
would  like  me  to.  I  am  certain  that  the  vaga- 
bond who  made  this  translation  is  a  literary 
sectarian  from  the  school  of  a  Salomon  or  a  Klei ; 
this  I  have  smelt  out  from  various  turns  of  speech, 
but  still  more  from  fragments  in  the  newspapers, 
which  he  has  had  printed  in  his  patchwork 
besides,  and  in  which  he  gives  all  sorts  of  garbled 
news  of  my  health  and  would  even  like  to  give 
himself  the  appearance  of  a  kind-hearted  friend  ! 

My  life  is  made  cursedly  hard  for  me  and  in 
good  sooth  our  Lord  and  Savior  must  be  a  god 
in  order  that  he  could  pardon  in  such  Pharisees 
their  passion  for  persecution  ! 

Monsieur  Wihl  had  the  kindness  to  chuck  him- 
self out  of  the  house,  and  a  still  dirtier,  still  viler 
and  much  more  dangerous  vagabond,  the  litter- 
ateur W.,  is  never,  thank  God,  to  cross  my  thres- 
hold again.  There  is  a  mob  of  fellows  of  this 
kidney  in  Paris  who  run  about  and  gossip,  or 
even  correspond,  and  whom,  thank  God,  I  do 
not  see. 

Oh  dear,  if  I  could  only  talk  myself  out  with 


264       FAM1L  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Lotta  for  an  hour  or  two !     I  greet  all  heartily. 
Farewell,  keep  in  love 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

CXI 

PARIS,  June  21,  1853. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER: 

I  don't  know  which  of  us  owes  an  answer  to 
the  other,  but  I  have  nothing  to  report  except 
that  I  am  in  good  health,  as  good  at  least  as 
is  possible  in  my  long  and  wearisome  illness. 
My  wife  was  well  until  yesterday  evening,  when 
she  complained  a  little  ;  but  I  hope  that  it  means 
nothing.  I  always  lose  my  head  at  once  as  soon 
as  anything  is  amiss  with  my  dear  wife.  Men 
are  big  fools !  But  the  biggest  fools  are  those 
men  who  do  not  love  their  wives,  because  they 
have  to  make  the  same  expenditure  for  them  and 
for  the  same  money  might  obtain  for  themselves 
a  bit  of  tenderness. 

I  send  greetings  to  my  dear  Lotta  and  the 
children.  I  beg  you  to  particularly  kiss  my  dear 
niece  Anna.  Therese  has  visited  me  here,  but  in 
company  with  Carl,  who  was  sent  to  act  as  sen- 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.       265 

tinel,  so  that  I  should  say  nothing  she  ought  not 
to  hear! 

I  am  always  thinking  of  you,  dear  mother,  and 
love  you  unutterably. 

I  work  a  great  deal,  which  of  course  attacks  my 
strength,  but  at  the  same  time  does  good  by 
diverting  my  thoughts. 

I  embrace  you  tenderly  and  pray  to  God  who 
is  kind  that  he  keep  you  well  and  gladsome. 
Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

CXII 

PARIS,  July  16,  1853. 
DEAREST  SISTER  : 

Pardon  me  for  not  answering  your  letter  at 
once  ;  I  had  no  one  at  hand  to  whom  I  could  dic- 
tate German.  In  answer  to  the  question  con- 
tained in  the  paper  forwarded  to  me,  regarding 
my  biography,  I  shall  only  say  a  few  words. 

You  know  what  my  baptismal  and  surname  are, 
as  well  as  the  names  of  our  parents,  so  that  you 
can  fill  up  this  rubric.  The  names  of  my  wife  are 
Mathilde  Creszenzia  Heine;  I  like  best  to  call 
her  Mathilde,  because  the  name  Creszenzia,  which 


266       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

is  also  that  of  her  mother,  has  always  given  me  a 
pain  in  the  throat.  As  to  the  date  of  my  birth 
I  have  to  say  that  according  to  my  notice  of 
baptism  I  was  born  the  thirteenth  of  December, 
1799,  and  that  at  Dusseldorf  on  the  Rhine,  as 
must  likewise  be  known  to  you.  Since  all  our 
family  papers  were  destroyed  at  Hamburg  in  the 
conflagration,  and  in  the  register  at  Dusseldorf  the 
date  of  my  birth  could  not  have  been  properly 
entered — for  reasons  which  I  do  not  care  to  men- 
tion— the  above  date  alone  is  authentic — at  any 
rate  more  authentic  than  the  recollections  of  my 
mother,  whose  aging  memory  is  not  capable  of 
replacing  any  papers  which  are  lost. 

As  to  the  schools  in  which  I  was  polished  off, 
they  too  are  known  to  you  ;  they  begin  with 
the  Franciscan  monastery  at  Dusseldorf ;  later  I 
passed  two  years  in  the  Protestant  Institute  of 
Vahrenkamp,  afterward  I  attended  all  the  classes 
at  the  lyceum,  which  is  now  called  the  gym- 
nasium. The  teachers  of  the  Franciscan  monas- 
tery, as  well  as  those  of  the  lyceum,  will  be  re- 
called by  mother,  and  I  think  there  is  no  need  of 
mentioning  them  here.  At  the  Universities  of 
Bonn,  Gottingen  and  Berlin,  where  later  I  passed 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.     267 

some  years,  I  enjoyed  tuition  from  very  celebrated 
persons,  but  it  is  too  tedious  for  me  to  reel  off  the 
list  of  their  names.  Now  as  regards  the  books, 
in  this  particular  I  will  refer  to  Campe,  who  knows 
the  facts  better  than  I  do  myself,  and  so  he  can 
fill  up  the  rubric  in  question.  For  the  rest,  I 
think  there  is  nothing  more  to  mention  and  what 
has  already  been  stated  bores  me  quite  enough. 

When  you  see  Mr.  Campe  beg  him  in  my  name 
to  give  the  list  of  books  which  I  drew  up  from  the 
Lacisz  catalogue  and  in  accordance  with  which  he 
was  to  send  me  an  invoice  which  has  never  come 
to  hand.  Do  send  me  this  list  at  once  in  order 
that  I  may  strike  out  the  books  which  I  no  longer 
need  and  send  you  a  new  list,  so  that  I  can  get 
the  books  forwarded  whose  dispatch  Campe  has 
delayed  so  long,  so  unwarrantably  long !  I  would 
write  to  him  direct  if  I  did  not  have  also  to 
answer  his  last  letter  and  if  at  this  moment  I  did 
not  lack  the  spirit.  For  in  his  last  letter  he  has 
again  blamed  me,  as  if  it  were  I  who  laid  obsta- 
cles in  his  way  and  who  broke  up  our  good  rela- 
tions by  demanding  too  much  money  from  him. 
Heaven  knows  that  I  make  no  demands  on  him 
for  anything  which  I  do  not  believe  myself  to 


268       FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HE1NR1CH  HEINE. 

have  earned  twice  over.  For  the  rest  my  brothers 
have  done  their  part  in  bringing  on  that  confu- 
sion which  exists  between  Campe  and  me  and  is 
now  no  longer  to  be  altered. 

For  the  rest  Max  is  far  more  to  blame  than 
Gustav,  since  in  his  egotism  he  did  not  even 
take  the  trouble  to  read  carefully  the  letters 
in  which  I  gave  him  the  strictest  instructions 
with  regard  to  Campe.  He  might  have  made 
him  concessions,  if  not  with  regard  to  the 
sum  of  money,  still  with  respect  to  other  inter- 
ests which  have  money  value  for  Campe — and 
the  affair  would  have  been  quite  simple.  Instead 
of  that  the  fool  preaches  to  me  to  rely  blindly  on 
Campe's  friendship,  and  tries  to  persuade  me 
there  is  no  need  for  me  to  make  such  a  point  of 
money — and  I  ought  to  permit  my  fleece  to  be 
sheared  now  as  before.  So  I  have  not  written  to 
him  since  he  reached  Russia,  because  when  I  do 
write  something  bitter  might  slip  out,  and  on 
such  occasions  silence  is  the  best. 

I  write  you  under  the  address  of  my  dear 
mother  so  that  the  greetings  that  I  shall  send 
her  herewith  may  reach  her  a  few  hours  earlier. 
Right  heartily  do  I  kiss  dear,  kind  mother;  and 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        269 

Mathilda  too,  who  has  been  very  sick  but  is  re- 
stored again,  asks  to  forward  you  the  tenderest 
caresses.  I  am  merely  so-so;  only  this  power- 
ful heat  has  regaled  me  with  permanent  headache. 
My  most  friendly  greetings  to  your  husband 
and  your  children  as  well. 

Jolly  and  loving, 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

CXIII 

PARIS,  August  18,  1853. 
DEAREST,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

With  delight  I  have  seen  from  your  last  let- 
ter that  you  are  in  good  health.  To  be  sure  I 
have  no  greater  warrant  than  your  own  letter, 
and  many  a  time  do  I  worry  greatly  on  your 
account.  But  you  know  our  agreement.  Do 
not  complain  because  I  rarely  write,  for  you 
know  that  I  do  not  have  anyone  at  each  mo- 
ment at  my  command  in  order  to  dictate  German. 

My  wife  is  very  well,  but  at  the  present  moment 
she  is  not  in  my  possession,  for  owing  to  family 
matters  she  has  gone  for  two  days  to  her  home 
and  will  not  come  back  till  this  evening. 


270       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

I  send  hearty  greetings  to  my  dear  Lotta  and 
her  children.  I  thank  Lotta  for  her  last  letter 
and  will  send  her  back  presently  a  list  of  books. 
I  have  just  had  another  letter  from  Campe, 
though  I  had  not  answered  his  last  epistle  ;  once 
more  he  questions  my  wish  to  be  of  service 
in  all  kinds  of  ways,  and  I  can  see  how  he  is 
choking  with  exasperation  because  I  will  not 
permit  myself  to  be  exploited  by  him  without  a 
proviso.  He  announced  that  he  is  again  issuing 
a  new  edition  of  the  "  Buch  der  Lieder."*  Not  a 
line  of  manuscript  does  he  get  from  me  for  noth- 
ing, and  so  I  let  everything  lie  in  my  portfolio. 

Everything  is  quiet  here  and  the  fear  of  a  war 
is  gone.  Nevertheless  I  believe  that  war  will 
inevitably  break  out  next  year,  because  the  rela- 
tions and  the  interests  are  too  much  mixed  up. 
A  lucifer  match  can  set  the  world  in  flames  just 
now,  and  the  firemen  f  who  are  in  command 
show  more  anxiety  than  sense. 

And  now  farewell,  dear  mother,  and  be  as- 
sured that  I  think  of  you  day  and  night.  Our 

*  Bought  at  one  time  by  Campe  for  fifty  louis  d'or. 
t  1853-56.     The    Eastern     question     and    the     war    of    the 
Crimea  which  sprang  from  it. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        271 

whole  relationship,  to  be  sure,  only  consists  in 
the  fact  that  you  are  my  old  discursive  mother, 
but  at  the  same  time  you  are  such  a  perfectly 
square  woman  and  such  a  dear  old  Mausel  that 
I  can  never  get  enough  of  you,  and  with  the 
highest  respect  love  you  unspeakably. 
Your  obedient  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

CXIV 

PARIS,  December  7,  1853. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  am  not  very  well  acquainted  with  the 
accursed  Russian  calendar  and  know  not  whether 
Counselor  of  State  Kiseleff  is  to  make  his  visit 
this  week  or  the  next.  To-day  I  write  to  con- 
gratulate you  on  your  birthday  and  I  think  once 
more  with  laughter  of  little  Paul's  congratula- 
tions made  last  year  with  a  pot  of  flowers.* 

May  Heaven,  dear  mother,  grant  you  a  vast 
deal  of  happiness  and  keep  you  as  always  lively 
and  in  good  health.  Cold  has  already  arrived  here 

*  This  little  grandson  of  Heine's  mother  brought  her  a  pot 
of  hyacinths  and  when  the  grandmother,  thanking  him,  reached 
forward  to  take  it,  the  child  burst  into  tears  and  would  not  give 
it  up. 


272        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

and  I  think  with  terror  how  the  coming  winter 
may  be  able  to  assault  you  in  your  little  dove- 
cote. Would  that  I  could  get  to  you  in  order  to 
stop  up  every  crevice  where  a  draft  could  get 
through  !  We  talk  of  you  constantly  and  my 
wife  says  that  it  seems  to  her  as  if  she  had  left 
you  but  yesterday — but  to  my  mind  it  is  as  if  I 
were  ever  by  your  side. 

With  respect  to  my  health,  I  am  getting  on  as 
usual,  and  verily  I  know  not  what  I  could  add 
to  this  answer  of  Canonicus  Karthiimel.  I  am 
still  suffering  from  cramps,  but  these  do  not,  as 
they  did  with  my  father  of  blessed  memory,  af- 
fect the  stomach.  I  hope  that  you  all  live  in 
gayety  and  unity.  I  am  very  quiet  indeed 
and  agree  that  five  is  an  even  number.  Nothing 
has  turned  out  luckily  for  me  in  this  world,  but 
still  I  might  have  had  a  worse  fate.  That  is  the 
way  that  half-whipped  dogs  comfort  themselves. 

I  hope  to  write  you  again  in  this  year,  and  as 
you  know  that  I  still  have  no  German  secretary 
at  command  you  will  gladly  pardon  me  if  my 
congratulations  for  the  year  do  not  reach  you  at 
the  proper  time. 

Everything  here  is  quiet  and  all    Paris  is  occu- 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        273 

pied  with  building.  Everything  is  torn  down, 
built  up  afresh  ;  and  one  scarcely  knows  any  more 
where  the  old  corners  are  to  be  found.  I  am 
highly  pleased  with  my  wife  and  she  is  the  truest 
soul  anyone  could  imagine.  Of  course  when  all  is 
said,  I  believe  there  is  only  a  solitary  person 
upon  whom  a  man  can  entirely  rely,  and  that  per- 
son is  his  mother.  Here  a  person  is  entirely 
sure ;  whoever  doubts  that,  for  him  no  course  is 
more  to  be  recommended  than  that  he  should 
leave  this  world  as  soon  as  possible. 

And   now,  dear  mother,  farewell.     I  greet  my 
dear  Lotta  and  her  dear  children  from  my  heart 
and  embrace  you  all  with  the  most  profound  love. 
Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE.    ] 

Heine's  health  had  become  decidedly  worse 
again  because  of  a  heavy  cold.  Inflammation  of 
the  neck,  accompanied  by  violent  cramps  of 
throat  and  breast,  made  breathing  difficult,  and 
moreover  a  swelling  had  come  out  on  his  back 
which  made  lying  down  torture.  It  was  neces- 
sary to  submit  to  a  painful  operation  and  the  poet 
thought  he  was  near  his  end.  After  the  opera- 


274       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H BIN  RICH  HEINE. 

tion  the  condition  of  the  sick  man  improved  and 
hardly  had  a  lessening  of  his  torments  set  in 
when  he  commenced  to  work  unweariedly. 

Soon  afterward,  in  the  spring  of  1854,  my 
sister  *  went  to  Paris  in  order  to  visit  her  uncle, 
and  with  reference  to  this  meeting  wrote  that 
she  scarcely  could  recognize  him  when  she  saw 
that  figure  of  suffering,  and  found  him  so 
changed  that  tears  prevented  her  from  speaking. 
Paralysis  of  his  eyelids  prevented  him  from 
observing  her  sorrow. 

"  'Step  nearer,  dear  child,'  he  said  in  a  weak  voice 
'  in  order  that  I  may  see  you  ;  here,  close  to  me  ! ' ' 
And  with  one  hand  he  raised  his  eyelid  in  order 
to  see  whether  she  looked  like  her  mother. 

"I  had  to  take  a  seat  on  the  bed,  and  the  first 
questions  he  asked  were  about  the  dear  ones  at 
home. 

"'Alas!  I  shall  never  see  my  beloved  mother 
again,  and  my  dear  Lotta — will  she  not  come 
soon?'  he  cried  in  a  tone  of  sorrow." 

My  sister  reported  further  : 

*  Marie,  Princess  della  Rocca,  published  in  1881 "  Reminiscences 
regarding  Heinrich  Heine  "  through  Hoffmann  &  Campe,  Ham- 
burg ;  and  in  1882,  "  Sketches  relating  to  Heinrich  Heine," 
through  A.  Hartleben,  Leipsic. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE.        275 

"  The  evening  before  my  departure  I  sat  by  his 
side.  He  had  told  me  of  his  youthful  years  and 
combats  with  men  and  I  was  silently  listening  to 
his  recollections.  Wearied  out,  he  lay  there 
almost  lifeless ;  the  sick  room  was  badly  lighted  ; 
a  lamp  was  burning  dimly  behind  a  screen  and 
one  heard  the  monotonous  ticking  of  a  clock.  I 
did  not  dare  disturb  his  rest  and  sat  motionless 
on  my  chair.  Suddenly  he  tried  to  change  his 
position,  a  thing  the  doctor  had  earnestly 
warned  him  not  to  do,  since  it  ought  to  be  done 
only  with  the  assistance  of  the  nurse.  He  was 
seized  with  cramps  and  moaned  and  groaned  in 
the  most  frightful  manner. 

"The  scene  was  a  new  one  to  me  ;  I  thought  it 
was  the  death  struggle  when  I  saw  him  wrestling 
for  breath, and  from  the  depths  of  my  soul  I  prayed 
to  God  to  loose  him  from  these  torturing  pains. 
Pauline,  his  faithful  caretaker,  sought  to  quiet 
him,  and  assured  me  that  it  was  a  passing  pain 
and  that  she  had  often  seen  him  in  this  condi- 
tion. Nothing  could  keep  me  longer  in  the 
chamber;  I  ran  sobbing  away  and  only  saw  him 
again  for  a  few  moments  in  order  to  say  farewell. 
It  was  for  eternity  !  .  .  ," 


276       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Besides  his  illness  Heine  was  saddened  by  the 
disagreeable  state  of  things  with  his  old  friend 
Julius  Campe,  whose  hardness  as  to  money 
payments  gave  him  much  trouble  and  bitter- 
ness. Up  to  that  time  Campe  had  been 
accustomed  to  buy  Heine's  manuscripts  cheap 
and  felt  himself  deeply  wounded  because  the 
poet,  crowned  by  fame,  placed  higher  demands 
for  payment  on  his  writings.  Heine's  pecuniary 
condition  had  entirely  altered  since  the  publica- 
tion of  his  works  in  French,  which  were  paid  for 
in  a  brilliant  fashion,  and  as  the  former  depend- 
ence of  a  needy  man  on  his  German  publisher 
had  vanished,  he  was  able  to  await  the  accept- 
ance of  his  demands  in  the  greatest  quiet. 

Heine  was  now  earning  a  good  deal  of  money, 
paid  off  all  his  former  debts,  and  as  early  as  the 
close  of  1851  used  his  first  surplus  to  payback 
to  his  brother  Gustav  everything  which  he  had 
borrowed  from  him. 

It  gave  him  great  pleasure  to  be  unburdened  of 
his  old  money  troubles ;  this  permitted  him  to 
give  his  mother,  sister  and  nieces  presents  now 
and  then,  and  to  meet  the  often  far-reaching 
desires  of  Mathilde, 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       277 

cxv 

PARIS,  June  26,  1854. 
DEAR,  KIND  LOTTA: 

My  wife  has  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  hunting 
up  a  gown  for  you  cut  according  to  the 
latest  fashion  and  two  gowns  for  my  nieces — 
altogether  uni,  I  assure  you — and  I  send  them  to 
you  by  rail  in  a  special  box  which  is  addressed  to 
your  husband.  I  send  you  to-day,  it  is  true,  a 
manuscript  to  Campe  at  the  same  time ;  but  I 
did  not  want  to  pack  the  gowns  in  his  box, 
because  he  is  married  and  women  grudge  each 
other  everything ! 

The  gown  gris  de  perle  I  have  assigned  to 
Nanny  and  the  blue  one  to  Lena,  whom  you  ex- 
pect back  in  Hamburg,  as  you  told  me.  I  coun- 
sel you  not  to  send  the  gown  across  the  sea 
even  if  you  have  the  chance,  because  the  salt 
air  will  hurt  the  color.  But  if  the  little  blonde 
stays  away  too  long  you  are  authorized,  if  you 
wish,  to  give  the  blue  gown  also  to  the  brunette 
who  stayed  at  home,  and  hereby  I  tell  you  in 
advance  that  this  arrangement  also  will  suit  me. 

I  have  bought  nothing  for  mother,  because  she 


278       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINR1CH  HEINE. 

would  not  let  anybody  make  her  a  pompous 
gown  in  any  case  and  would  only  screech.  I 
therefore  beg  you  to  buy  a  marvel  of  a  cap  for 
her  in  Hamburg  and  tell  her  that  it  was  packed 
in  your  box ;  buy  as  fine  a  one  as  possible  and  tell 
me  how  much  you  have  paid  out  for  it.  I  have 
carefully  noted  the  name  which  you  have  men- 
tioned and  shall  write  you  on  the  matter  ;  I  shall 
not  forget. 

Unhappily  I  am  not  getting  on  well  this 
summer.  Day  and  night  I  suffer  from  cramps 
and  do  not  get  away  from  bed.  My  wife  con- 
ducts herself  admirably,  and  amused  herself  ten 
times  more  with  buying  the  dresses  than  if  they 
had  been  for  her  own  use.  But  she  shall  have 
her  reward  for  it.  I  cannot  do  without  her  in 
my  sufferings,  and  am  horrified  by  the  thought 
that  I  must  leave  her! 

Farewell,  dear  sister.     Greet  for  me  heartily 
Nanny  and  Ludwig,  as  well  as  your  husband. 
Your  faithful  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

P.  S. — You  can  have  no  conception  how  much 
I  have  had  to  bear  from  the  Jesuit,*  and  how  he 
*  Julius  Campe,  his  publisher. 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.     279 

has  done  everything  possible  to  torture  me. 
But  we  are  the  best  of  friends.  Do  you  recall  a 
certain  "  Red  Aaron  "  ? 

CXVI 

PARIS,  August  31,  1854. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER  : 

I  have  a  great  piece  of  news  to  impart  to  you 
to-day.  It  is  this :  I  have  entirely  given  up  my 
old  abode  in  Paris  and  now  live  near  the  Bar- 
riere  of  Paris  in  a  house  which  I  occupy  alone 
and  to  which  belongs  quite  a  big  garden  with 
quite  big  trees,  and  where  I  can  enjoy  this  lovely 
season  in  the  most  delightful  way.  I  have  made 
the  greatest  sacrifices  of  money  in  order  to  make 
this  revolution,  and  verily  do  not  regret  it,  since 
my  health  will  be  extraordinarily  furthered 
thereby.  My  present  system  is  to  do  everything 
for  my  health  and  nothing  for  other  people,  not 
even  for  the  squanderer,  to  whom  in  any  case  I 
could  not  bequeath  enough.  My  address  is  aux 
Batignolles,  grand  rue  No.  $i,  a  Paris. 

You  have  no  conception,  dear  mother,  how 
greatly  the  fine  air  and  sunshine  which  I  did  not 
have  in  my  old  abode  does  me  good.  Yester- 


28o       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

day  I  sat  in  better  health  than  ever  under  the 
trees  of  my  own  garden  and  ate  the  fine  plums 
which  fell  overripe  into  my  mug.  I  thought  of 
you  all  and  made  the  resolve  to  write  to  you 
to-day,  although  I  am  still  in  the  greatest  confu- 
sion. My  wife  (who  always  calls  herself,  when 
she  speaks  of  herself,  meine  Frau  in  German,  a 
thing  that  comes  out  very  comically,  like  a  parrot) 
asks  to  be  heartily  remembered.  She  tells  me 
just  now  to  say:"Z>«  a  ma  m'ere  que  '  meine 
Frau  '  est  trts  occup/e,  et  que  '  meine  Frau  '  I' em- 
brasse  mille  fois" 

I  send  hearty  greetings  to  my  Lotta,  as  well  as 
to  the  young  ladies  and  Ludwig. 

I  have  obtained  the  best  news  of  X.  from  a 
lady  who  is  very  truthful.  He  is  said  to  be  a 
very  good  fellow,  very  companionable,  and  also 
to  possess  elsewhere  a  little  property,  that  is  not 
confiscated  like  his  landed  estate  at  home,  which 
will  probably  be  handed  back  to  him  if  he  will 
crawl  to  kiss  the  cross  politically.  As  he  now 
has  a  cross  in  his  house,  he  will  probably  soon 
come  to  a  peace  with  such  thoughts,  and  prop- 
erly duck  his  head. 

I  have  left  entirely  to  Campe  the  correcting  of 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.     281 

the  proofs  for  two  volumes,  and  would  rather  be 
immortal  a  few  years  less  than  strain  my  eyes  too 
much. 

Keep  in  your  love 

Your  faithful 

H.  HEINE. 

CXVII 

PARIS,  November  6,  1854. 
DEAR  NANNY: 

I  wanted  to  write  to  you  long  ago,  but  never 
reached  the  point  because  there  was  such  a 
banging  and  bouncing  round  my  ears  !  To-day 
also  I  am  not  in  condition  to  say  an  intelligible 
word  to  you.  Your  sweet  letter  amused  me 
greatly,  and  we  laughed  heartily  at  your  drawing. 
My  wife  loves  you  very  much  and  sends  hearty 
greetings  to  you,  as  well  as  to  your  father,  your 
brother,  Lena  and  of  course  your  mother. 

Herewith  I  send  you  an  autograph,  for  which 
your  father  will  count  you  out  twelve  yellow 
louis  d'or.  Buy  with  it  something  that  pleases 
you ;  in  that  way  you  make  it  unnecessary  for 
me  to  buy  it,  pack  it  and  forward  it,  and  so  do 
me  a  service  for  which  I  thank  you. 


282       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

Notify  me  also  of  the  receipt  of  this  letter. 
As  soon  as  I  shall  be  at  all  in  a  pleasant  mood 
I  will  write  you  further. 

Meantime  farewell,  and  be  ever  lovingly 
devoted. 

Your  faithful  uncle, 

HENRY  HEINE. 

CXVIII 

PARIS,  November  7,  1854. 
DEAREST,  GOOD  MOTHER  : 

I  did  not  want  to  write  to  you  before  I  could 
certainly  notify  you  that  I  had  moved  ;  but  the 
moving  was  delayed  from  day  to  day  by  all  kinds  of 
events  and  it  was  not  till  yesterday  that  I  arrived 
safely  in  my  new  house.  It  was  a  journey  of 
about  two  hours,  but  one  in  which  I  was  favored 
by  the  best  of  weather.  As  you  can  imagine  I 
find  myself  in  the  greatest  disorder ;  have  a 
thousand  matters  on  every  side,  and  to-day  must 
limit  myself  to  merely  imparting  to  you  my  new 
address.  It  reads  as  follows:  aux  Champs 
Elystes,  3  avenue  Matignon,  Paris. 

Just  think  :  till  this  moment  I  have  not  yet 
received  a  copy  of  my  book  from  Campe.  The 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE.       283 

devil  would  learn  wisdom-from  the  poison  mixing 
the  latter  is  working  at.      I  hope  to  get  entirely 
at  rest  in  a  few  weeks.     I  greet  my  dear  sister 
and  her  children.     I  embrace  you  all  heartily. 
Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

Heine  had  forsaken  the  house  in  Batignolles, 
which  was  too  damp,  and  had  moved  into  the 
Champs  Elyse"es.  The  new  abode  was  admi- 
rably placed  and  entirely  in  accord  with  Heine's 
wishes ;  it  was  on  the  third  floor,  without  noises 
overhead,  roomy,  bright  and  airy.  It  was  pro- 
vided with  a  balcony  on  to  which  he  had  him- 
self carried  on  sunny,  windless  days,  in  order  to 
watch  the  promenaders  and  equipages  with  their 
well  dressed  fares,  who  hurried  toward  the  Arc 
de  Triomphe  in  order  to  push  on  to  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne.  This  diversion  often  gave  the  poet 
pleasure  and  caused  him  to  grow  so  fond  of  his 
new  home  that  he  stayed  there  to  his  end. 

Besides  the  literary  and  artistic  magnates  of 
France  who  visited  Heine,  it  had  become  the 
fashion  for  German  authors  to  make  a  pilgrimage 
to  him  as  the  Mohammedans  journey  to  Mecca. 


284       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

After  their  return  home  all  kinds  of  imaginary 
things  and  witty  speeches  were  often  related  in 
feuilletons  and  articles,  in  order  to  show  the 
public  the  stamp  of  genuineness  on  their  Paris 
visit. 

In  the  winter  of  1855  Heine's  condition  grew 
worse  and  brought  on  a  return  of  his  sufferings 
of  the  year  before  ;  this  time  he  once  more  over- 
came the  passing  peril,  and  after  a  short  period 
of  convalescence  devoted  himself  again  to  his 
labor. 

CXIX 

PARIS,  March  20,  1855. 
DEAREST  SISTER  : 

I  am  suffering  in  an  extraordinary  way  at 
this  moment  from  cramps  in  the  throat,  and  for 
that  reason  am  in  no  condition  to  write  much  to 
you  to-day.  A  few  days  ago  I  dispatched  a  box 
to  you  on  the  Goosemarket,  but  without  a  street 
number,  by  the  Messageries  Royales ;  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  railway  or  postal  officials  in  your 
town  know  the  address  of  Moritz  ;  if  not,  you 
must  send  to  the  station  in  order  to  get  news  of 
the  arrival  of  the  box.  There  is  a  hat  in  it  for 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        285 

you,  and  in  order  to  make  use  of  the  occasion  I 
sent  along  a  hat  for  Nanny  and  one  for  Lena 
also.  Both  of  the  last  are  quite  simple,  and  the 
light  blue  hat  is  for  the  blonde  and  the  rose- 
colored  hat  for  the  brunette.  I  hope  that  yours, 
likewise  bluish  and  somewhat  more  serious,  will 
be  very  becoming  to  you,  and  that  by  its  means 
I  shall  win  your  patronage  for  the  future  also. 
Unfortunately  I  was  able  to  prepay  the  box  only 
to  Brussels  and  you  will  have  to  pay  a  heathenish 
freight  for  it. 

My  wife  sends  you  friendly  and  hearty  greet- 
ings. It  has  given  her  great  pleasure  to  under- 
take the  ordering  of  the  hats  and  one  can  rely 
upon  her  good  taste.  I  kiss  you  all ;  greet  my 
nephew  heartily  and  pray  greet  your  husband 
likewise  for  me. 

My  French  books  give  me  a  frightful  lot  of 
bangand  bounce.  In  a  fortnight  the  "  Lutetia  "  * 
will  be  out  in  French.  I  have  no  news  concern- 
ing Carl  and  I  beg  you  to  tell  me  how  he  is  and 
where.  Do  keep  my  dear,  old  mother  nice  and 

*For  "  Lutetia,  or  Reports  on  Politics,  Art  and  Popular  Life,' 
see  vol.  ix.  p.  205,  and  vol.  x.  It  appeared  in  German  in  1832. 
^-TR, 


286       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE. 

warm.     She  is  a  very  pride  and  joy  !     God  keep 
you  all ! 

Your  faithful  brother, 

H.  HEINE. 

On  its  appearance  in  1855  the  "  Lutetia " 
created  a  great  sensation,  and  in  the  preface  to  this 
edition  Heine,  in  his  well  known  humorous  way 
of  writing,  laid  the  lash  on  Socialism,  at  that  time 
already  rising  with  boldness.  He  said  : 

"  Only  with  terror  and  shuddering  do  I  think 
upon  that  epoch  in  which  these  darksome  icono- 
clasts shall  win  their  way  to  sovereignty.  With 
their  horny  hands  they  will  pitilessly  break  to 
pieces  all  the  marble  statues  of  beauty  which  are 
dear  to  my  heart.  They  will  tear  into  bits  all 
those  fantastic  toys  and  tinsel  of  art  which  thepoet 
so  loves.  They  will  fell  my  groves  of  laurel  in 
order  to  plant  potatoes  there.  The  lilies  which 
neither  spun  nor  yet  labored  and  still  were  as 
magnificently  clothed  as  was  King  Solomon  in  all 
his  glory,  these  shall  be  torn  up  from  the  garden 
of  society  in  case  they  perchance  refuse  to  take 
a  spindle  in  their  hands.  The  roses,  lazy 
brides  of  the  nightingales,  will  be  overtaken  by 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        287 

the  same  fate.  The  nightingales,  those  useless 
singers,  will  be  driven  off  and  alas!  my  '  Book  of 
Songs  '  will  serve  the  peddler  of  spices  as  material 
from  which  to  twist  cornucopias  and  into  these 
he  will  pour  coffee  or  snuff  for  the  old  beldames 
of  the  future.  Alas,  I  see  all  this  in  advance,  and 
an  inexpressible  sadness  creeps  over  me  when  I 
think  of  the  destruction  which  a  victorious  pro- 
letariat threatens  to  bring  upon  my  verses,  which 
will  sink  into  the  grave  along  with  the  entire 
ancient,  romantic  world  !  " 

And  further:  "Dante  says  the  devil  is  a 
logician  !  A  horrible  syllogism  has  me  in  its 
embrace,  and  if  I  am  not  able  to  refute  the  state- 
ment '  that  all  men  have  a  right  to  eat,'  I  am 
compelled  to  surrender  and  submit  myself  to  all 
the  consequences  thereof.*  While  I  think  of  that 
I  run  the  risk  of  losing  my  mind ;  I  see  all  the 
godlike  powers  of  truth  dancing  triumphantly 
about  me  and  at  last  my  soul  seizes  on  a  high- 
hearted  despair  and  I  cry  out :  '  Long  ago  it  was 
judged  and  sentenced — this  old  society!  Let 
that  happen  to  it  which  is  right !'" 

*  For  verses  on  the  conflict  between  those  who  have  and  those 
who  lack,  see  "  Die  Wanderratten,"  vol.  iii.  p.  228. — TR, 


288       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

My  mother  had  a  great  longing  to  see  her 
brother  once  more,  and,  disquieted  by  the  acute 
form  which  his  sufferings  had  assumed,  she  wrote 
that  she  wished  to  come  to  Paris  to  nurse  him  her- 
self as  soon  as  her  household  duties  would  permit. 

cxx 

PARIS,  August  10,  1855. 
DEAREST  MOTHER  : 

Since  your  last  letter  I  think  of  nothing  else 
save  the  happy  seeing  of  my  dear  sister  once  more. 
Everything  is  already  arranged,  so  that  on  her 
arrival  at  our  house  my  dear  Lotta  shall  find  a 
livable  room  where  Lotta  and  one  of  my  nieces 
(for  I  should  be  greatly  delighted  if  she  brought 
Anna  or  Lena  with  her)  will  find  themselves 
comfortable.  Indeed  it  would  be  an  unending 
pleasure  for  me  if  Lotta  brought  with  her  like- 
wise one  of  the  dear  children,  Nanny  or  Lena, 
never  mind  which,  for  both  are  equally  dear  to 
me  and  only  age  decides  the  precedence.  We 
live  here  with  room  to  our  elbows,  and  all  our 
friends  who  come  to  see  us  admire  the  fine  view 
and  the  good  air  which  we  enjoy,  so  that  we 
find  ourselves  in  the  most  brilliant  center  of 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        289 

Paris  and  yet  seem  to  be  in  the  country.  Last 
week  Laube  and  his  wife  from  Vienna  were  in 
town  and  often  came  to  see  us  ;  Friedland  and 
his  wife  from  Prague  also.  This  man,  as  I  once 
reported  to  you,  has  already  repaid  me  a  por- 
tion of  the  damages  into  which  I  stumbled 
through  him,  and  as  I  have  bills  of  exchange 
and  he  is  very  wealthy,  I  shall  lose  nothing  in 
the  end. 

Dr.  L.  also,  who  brought  me  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction from  Lotta,  visited  me  eight  days  ago. 
He  seems  to  be  an  extremely  charming  man,  has 
a  fine  exterior,  talks  by  no  means  like  a  fool, 
and  promised  me  to  visit  me  soon  again.  He 
will  stay  here  five  weeks  more  and  so  I  told  him 
that  he  would  see  Lotta  here  within  that  time. 

My  wife  is  well  and  is  very  gay.  I  am  still 
suffering  from  my  old  trouble,  the  cramps,  which 
to  be  sure  are  not  very  painful,  but  hinder  me 
in  every  enjoyment  of  life,  and  particularly  in 
working. 

I  am  still  diplomatizing  with  Campe,  and  even 
if  he  should  stand  on  his  head  I  shall  not  allow 
myself  any  longer  to  be  "  shaved  across  the 
spoon  "  by  him,  He  must  be  secretly  much  en- 


290       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

raged  with  me  and  of  course  is  playing  me  all 
kinds  of  tricks  behind  my  back.  But  I  am  tack- 
ing, and  at  last  I  shall  reach  what  I  wish.  He 
will  be  furious  when  he  learns  that  Lotta  and 
Gustav  are  coming  to  Paris.  Schiff  seems  to  be 
his  man  of  all  work,  and  Lotta  should  look  out 
for  herself. 

My  wife  greets  and  kisses  you  all  heartily  and 
my  Insignificance  does  the  same.  I  embrace  you 
tenderly,  my  kind,  excellent  mother,  and  with 
profoundest  love  remain, 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

CXXI 

PARIS,  October  24,  1855. 
DEAR,  KIND  MOTHER: 

I  have  no  German  secretary  now  and  can  write 
you  but  little  with  my  own  hand — hence  my  de- 
lay. Moreover  I  expect  the  family  every  day 
and  they  must  surely  be  on  the  road  by  this. 
Lotta's  bed  is  already  made.  I  wrote  lately  to 
Gustav  and  congratulated  him  on  his  new  crea- 
tion. He  is  the  one  to  continue  our  line  ;  I  have 
brought  everything  to  naught,  I  have  also 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        291 

thanked  Gustav  for  the  honor  done  me  by 
calling  his  boy  after  me.  If  he  is  still  in  Ham- 
burg I  beg  him  warmly  to  make  peace  with 
Campe  ;  this  quarrel  has  caused  me  great  vexa- 
tion and  damage.  Perhaps  Lotta  can  work  as 
a  peacemaker  by  asking  in  person  of  Campe 
for  any  messages  to  Paris.  Let  Campe  send 
me  through  her  the  third  part  of  Meissner's 
novel. 

Nanny  will  not  lose  much  if  she  does  not  come 
here  this  year,  as  Lotta  writes — and  for  many 
reasons.  But  I  hope  that  conjunctions  will  pre- 
sent themselves  in  spring  which  will  guarantee 
a  more  pleasurable  journey  hither.  Society  is  be- 
ginning to  move  about  now  and  the  child  would 
not  be  prepared  for  that  during  a  short  stay. 
Apropos — if  Lotta  is  still  in  Hamburg  and  by 
chance  should  have  my  book,*  "Shakespeare's 
Maidens  and  Women,"  I  beg  that  she  may 
bring  it  with  her;  not  to  be  had  here  any 
more. 

I  kiss  you,  precious  mother. 

Your  faithful  son, 

H.  HEINE. 

*  See  vol.  iv.  of  the  Bibliothek  Ausgabe.— TR. 


292        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

CXXII 

Monsieur, 

Mr.  Hermann  Heine* 

ct  Hambourg. 

PARIS,  November  19,  1855. 
DEAREST  HERMANN: 

I  have  just  learned  through  Lotta  what  a  loss 
you  suffered  lately,  and  although  I  am  very  ill 
and  almost  blind,  still  I  want  to  condole  with 
you  under  my  own  hand.  Deeply  has  the  sor- 
rowful news  grieved  me  !  My  dear  uncle  Henry 
was  an  excellent,  good  man,  sweet  and  kindly  to 
the  verge  of  weakness,  and  for  that  reason  all  the 
more  lovable.  He  was  courteous,  decorous,  pos- 
sessed of  good  manners;  no  coarse  word  and 
still  less  a  wounding  speech  ever  came  from  his 
lips.  He  never  told  a  lie,  and  even  as  with 
subtle  meanness,  so  with  rude  and  insulting  hate- 
fulness,  both  were  entirely  foreign  to  his  heart. 

*  The  original  belongs  to  Dr.  H.  Oswalt  in  Frankfort  on  the 
Main,  nephew  of  [the  other]  Henry  Heine. 

Henry  Heine,  born  1774,  died  1855,  married  Henriette  Emb- 
den,  born  1787,  died  1868,  and  left  two  children  : 

Hermann,  born  1816,  died  1870. 

Emilie,  married  to  S,  Oswalt  in  Frankfort,  born  1818,  died 
1892. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINKICH  HEINE.       293 

But  especially  one  had  to   praise  this  in  him  : 
he  was  an  utterly  honest  man  ! 

An  utterly  honest  man  he  was,  my  poor, 
blessed  uncle,  and  I  hear  with  pleasure,  dear 
Hermann,  that  you  are  like  him  in  this  particular. 
Such  fine  traits  as  his  are  unfortunately  becoming 
very  rare  ;  falseness  and  lies  are  in  the  majority, 
and  where  evil  has  been  sowed  there  shall 
people  reap  bad  luck  and  ruin!  The  tears  of 
the  insulted  clamor  to  God  (whose  hand  lies  also 
very  heavy  upon  me — whether  as  a  penal  judg- 
ment or  a  discipline  I  do  not  know).  I  suffer 
greatly,  but  support  my  wretchedness  with  sub- 
mission to  the  unfathomable  will  of  God. 

I  cannot  see  any  longer  the  letters  I  am 
writing  and  hasten  to  greet  you  in  the  most 
brotherly  way. 

Your  faithful  cousin 

H.  HEINE. 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  preceding  letters  my 
mother  had  reached  Paris  in  company  with  her 
brother  Gustav.  She  sent  me  the  following 
with  regard  to  the  meeting  with  her  brother 
Heinrich  : 


294       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  H El N RICH  HEINE. 

"  Mathilde  stood  on  the  threshold,  embraced 
me,  and  said  that  before  I  entered  the  house  my 
brother  had  called  her  and  remarked :  '  I  feel 
that  Lotta  is  coming  ;  there  is  no  need  of  prepar- 
ing for  her,  bring  her  at  once  to  me  ;  I  shall  not 
lose  a  minute  in  seeing  her!'  When  I  stepped 
up  to  his  bed  he  clasped  me  long  in  his  arms 
with  the  cry  :  '  My  darling  Lotta  ! '  without  utter- 
ing a  word,  then  leaned  his  head  on  my  shoulder 
and  reached  out  his  hand  to  his  brother. 

"  His  delight  at  seeing  me  cannot  be  described, 
and  I  was  not  permitted  to  leave  his  bedside 
until  late  at  night  except  for  dinner.  From  the 
previous  reports  which  I  had  heard  concerning 
the  illness  of  my  brother  I  feared  that  the  first 
sight  of  his  sufferings  would  have  shaken  me 
profoundly,  but  when  I  saw  merely  the  head, 
which  smiled  upon  me  with  its  wonderful  illu- 
mined beauty,  I  was  able  to  give  myself  up  to 
the  first  pleasure  of  seeing  him  once  more. 

"Yet  near  afternoon  when  the  nurse  carried 
my  brother  in  her  arms  to  an  invalid's  chair  in 
order  to  make  up  the  bed,  and  I  saw  the  body  all 
shrunk  together,  from  which  his  legs  hung  down 
without  signs  of  life,  I  had  to  gather  all  my 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINR1CH  HEINE.        295 

powers  of  self-control  in  order  to  support  in 
quiet  that  horrible  sight. 

"  My  bed  was  arranged  close  to  the  sick 
chamber  and  during  the  very  first  night  long 
continued  cramps  of  chest  and  head  made  their 
appearance  ;  they  worried  me  greatly.  Almost 
every  night  such  attacks  repeated  themselves 
and  when  I  then  hastened  to  his  bedside,  at 
once  the  laying  of  my  hand  on  the  sick  man's 
brow  seemed  to  bring  him  relief.  My  brother 
often  said  that  I  possessed  strange  magnetic 
powers  which  he  felt  at  once  no  matter  how 
gently  I  crept  into  the  room. 

"At  moments  when  he  was  free  from  pain  the 
recollections  of  former  years  in  the  parental 
house  or  concerning  relatives  were  able  to  raise 
a  laugh  in  him  again,  and  if  Mathilde  was 
present  she  would  laugh  aloud  and  only  then 
ask,  since  she  did  not  understand  German,  what 
it  was  we  were  laughing  at  so  hard. 

"  Mathilde  lived  with  me  in  the  best  reciprocal 
understanding;  not  so  with  Gustav,  who  spoke 
no  French  and  could  not  come  to  an  understand- 
ing with  her ;  this  produced  a  tension  on  both 
sides.  Besides,  Gustav  thought  the  marriage  of 


296       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

his  brother  for  love  a  great  mishap  ;  according 
to  his  opinion  it  was  the  source  of  his  failures 
and  sufferings.  Mathilde,  who  was  accustomed 
to  a  certain  petting,  counted  Gustav's  reserve 
for  discourtesy, and  while  translating  I  was  often 
at  my  wit's  end  how  to  preserve  a  superficial 
friendship  by  means  of  little  improvisations. 
After  a  drive  Gustav  would  perhaps  give  the 
cabby  too  small  a  tip.  The  latter,  thrusting  it 
into  his  pocket,  would  murmur  ladre  (thief !). 
Mathilde  would  laugh  loudly  and  at  Gustav's 
inquiry  why  she  laughed  so  immoderately  I  would 
reply  :  'It's  nothing  ;  he  was  merely  thanking  you 
for  the  tip  you  gave  him  !  ' 

"  Scenes  of  this  kind  repeated  themselves  sev- 
eral times,  and  when  Gustav  returned  to  Vienna, 
leaving  me  behind  in  Paris,  I  was  glad  that  no  seri- 
ous quarrel  had  arisen  between  them.  Mathilde's 
easily  roused  temper  often  occasioned  outbursts 
of  wrath  over  matters  of  no  importance  and  my 
brother  had  to  suffer  in  especial  from  her  jealous 
temperament.  He  bore  this  with  stoical  quiet 
and  knew  how  to  soothe  it  quickly  with  a  few 
jocose  remarks. 

"  The  entire   left  side  of  my  brother  was  par- 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       297 

alyzed,  the  left  eye  blinded,  arm  and  hand 
powerless.  Only  the  right  side  of  his  body  pre- 
served the  power  of  nerve  action,  so  that  it  was 
still  possible  for  him  to  write  with  the  right  hand. 
Often  did  he  place  that  hand  in  mine  and  as- 
sure me  that  my  presence  was  a  great  comfort ; 
I  could  scarcely  conceive,  he  said,  what  a  pleasure 
he  found  in  being  able  to  chat  so  confidentially  ; 
and  when  the  subject  of  our  recollections  of 
happy  childhood  was  exhausted  I  was  made  to 
tell  everything  about  mother  and  my  children. 
A  few  months  before,  he  said,  when  his  secretary 
of  many  years'  standing,  Richard  Reinhold,  left 
him,  he  had  begun  to  feel  very  much  the  solitude 
of  the  sick  chamber  ;  daily  visitors  had  exhausted 
rather  than  pleased  him,  and  the  writers  engaged 
on  trial  through  advertisements  in  the  papers  had 
afforded  him  no  satisfactory  substitute.  Latterly, 
an  inspiriting  person  of  uncommon  gifts  had  come 
to  see  him,  a  German  woman,  a  lively  offspring  of 
Swabia,  who  combined  in  herself  French  wit  with 
German  heartiness.  She  read  aloud  to  him  in 
a  melodious  voice  and  was  so  well  acquainted 
with  French  that  he  was  able  to  leave  to  her  the 
correction  of  proofs  for  his  works.  She  had 


298       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

been  slightly  under  the  weather,  but  would  soon 
come  again,  and  he  was  curious  to  learn  what 
kind  of  impression  she  would  make  on  me.* 

"  Mouche,  as  my  brother  called  her  because  of 
her  seal,  on  which  a  fly  was  engraved,  was  in  fact 
a  very  charming  vision  of  youth,  who  proved  to 
me  also  during  my  temporary  stay  extremely 
sympathetic  in  character.  Of  middle  stature, 
attractive  rather  than  pretty,  brown  ringlets 
framed  her  delicate  face,  out  of  which  roguish 
eyes  peeped  above  a  little  snub  of  a  nose;  she 
had  a  small  mouth  which  showed  a  row  of  pearly 
teeth  whenever  she  spoke  or  laughed. 

"  Notwithstanding  her  gayety,  already  she  had 
been  forced  to  learn  the  bitter  seriousness  of 
life.  Married  early  to  a  Frenchman,  she  passed 
the  first  year  of  her  marriage  in  Paris ;  but  too 
soon  the  butterfly  husband  who  was  squandering 
his  fortune  in  frivolity  became  weary  of  the 
little  German  wife.  To  get  rid  of  his  wife  he 
devised  the  following  scheme  :  He  demanded  of 
her  that  she  should  accompany  him  on  a  business 
trip  to  England ;  and  when  they  had  reached 

*  For  two  poems  addressed  to  "  Mouche  "  see  vol.  iii.  pp.  267 
and  304.  For  other  verses  probably  addressed  to  her,  vol.  iii.  pp. 
281  and  282.— TR. 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEItfRICH  HEINE.        *99 

London,  he  begged  her  to  visit  in  his  company 
the  family  of  a  friend.  The  carriage  stopped  in 
front  of  a  pretty  villa,  where  an  old  gentleman 
received  her  in  the  most  friendly  way,  and  hardly 
had  they  been  led  into  an  elegant  drawing  room 
when  her  husband  disappeared. 

"  She  soon  perceived  that  she  was  in  an  insane 
asylum,  and  at  her  screams  and  tears  and 
prayers  to  let  her  go  she  was  threatened  with 
violence  in  case  she  did  not  become  quiet.  Ter- 
ror affected  the  wretched  woman  to  such  a  degree 
that  she  had  a  paralysis  of  the  tongue  which  pre- 
vented her  from  speaking  for  a  long  time.  It 
was  not  for  several  weeks  that  she  became  mas- 
ter of  herself  physically  and  was  able  to  persuade 
the  physician  that  she  was  not  mentally  ill,  upon 
which  her  return  to  Paris  was  permitted.  Fur- 
ther cohabitation  with  her  husband  was  impos- 
sible, and  so  she  gave  German  lessons  in  order  to 
assure  her  own  existence. 

"  Mouche  came  daily  for  a  few  hours  to  see  my 
brother,  and  his  admiration  for  the  lively  little 
woman  unfortunately  roused  in  Mathilde  a  de- 
gree of  jealousy  amounting  to  disease,  which  at 
last  degenerated  into  animosity.  Her  husband's 


300       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

desire  that  Mouche  should  be  allowed  now  and 
then  to  share  the  midday  meal  was  abruptly 
refused  by  Mathilde  ;  Mouche's  pleasant  greeting 
was  scarcely  returned,  and  at  her  appearance  the 
sick  chamber  was  at  once  deserted  by  Mathilde. 

"  Indeed  I  was  on  one  occasion  mistaken  for 
Mouche  when  old  Beranger  was  visiting  my 
brother.  He  found  me  sitting  in  the  twilight 
near  the  bed  and,  stepping  forward,  he  re- 
marked :  '  My  dear  Heine,  is  madame  the  cele- 
brated new  reader,  Mouche?'  To  which  my 
brother  answered,  laughing  :  '  Cher  ami,  you  have 
evidently  a  case  of  mouche  volante  (trouble  of  the 
eyes).  It  is  my  sister.' 

"  I  heard  last  in  1887,  from  dear  Mouche  [Mrs. 
Camille  Selden],  when  she  informed  me  that  she 
had  published  note-worthy  recollections  of  my 
brother  and  was  established  in  Rouen  as  teacher 
of  German  at  a  boarding  school  for  girls. 

"  My  brother  was  a  great  lover  of  children  and 
was  pleased  if  the  three  charming  little  ones  of  a 
friend  of  Mathilde,  the  wife  of  the  director  of  the 
circus,  made  her  a  visit ;  the  youngest  was  his 
little  godchild.  The  children  were  given  cookies 
and  my  brother  told  them  lovely  fairy  stories 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE1NRICH  HEINE.        3°l 

\vhich  they  listened  to  quietly.  On  a  visit  of  the 
kind,  when  the  glories  of  heaven  were  being 
recited,  as  how  cookies  were  to  be  eaten  there 
from  morning  till  night,  and  how  the  little  an- 
gels, when  they  had  dined,  wiped  their  mouths 
with  their  white  wings  instead  of  a  napkin,  the 
little  godchild  cried  indignantly:  'That  is  very 
dirty  of  the  little  angels ! '  At  the  same  time 
I  may  remark,  in  contradiction  of  other  state- 
ments, that  Heine  never  had  an  adopted  child 
— as  it  has  been  of  late  averred. 

"At  the  beginning  of  December  I  had  news 
of  the  sudden  illness  of  one  of  my  children,  and 
for  that  reason  resolved  to  return  to  Hamburg. 
Before  going  I  asked  Dr.  Gruby  what  he  thought 
of  my  brother's  condition  ;  to  which  I  received 
the  tranquilizing  assurance  that  he  might  live 
from  two  to  three  years  longer  if  no  unexpected 
occurrence  intervened.  I  told  my  brother  of  my 
near  departure  and  made  a  solemn  promise  to 
come  back  in  spring.  Sorrowfully  he  received 
the  news,  and  begged  me,  if  it  were  in  any  way 
possible,  to  return  accompanied  by  my  son  Lud- 
wig,  to  whom  in  his  will  he  had  assigned  the  ex- 
ecution of  his  literary  remains,  and  with  whom 


302        FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

he  wished  to  have  a  personal  talk  on  many 
points  reaching  back  in  the  past.  At  the  same 
time  he  made  extensive  explanations  to  me  con- 
cerning the  disposal  of  his  literary  remains,  and 
begged  me  above  all  to  watch  Campe,  who  was 
authorized  to  leave  out  of  the  complete  works 
whatever  he  wished,  but  was  not  to  add  anything 
of  his  own  motion. 

"  In  order  to  make  my  departure  easier  my 
brother  wrote  a  lively  poem  the  day  before 
which  depicted  in  amusing  fashion  my  meeting 
with  the  family.  On  the  morning  of  my  de- 
parture, when  I  thought  to  take  it  from  my 
writing  desk  where  I  had  laid  it  down,  it  was 
gone,  and  to  my  sorrow  I  learned  that  the  maid- 
servant had  used  it  to  light  a  fire.  When  I  com- 
plained of  this  to  my  brother,  he  said  :  'Be  com- 
forted, dear  sister;  when  you  come  back  I  will 
write  a  letter  which  shall  be  much  more  fiery  ! ' 

"  But  there  was  no  coming  back  for  me  while 
he  lived,  for  hardly  two  months  later  he  entered 
unexpectedly  into  eternal  rest,  and  my  good-by 
kiss  was  the  last  which  I  was  able  to  press  upon 
his  pale  cheek." 

A  few  weeks  after  the  departure  of  his  sister 


FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       303 

the  condition  of  Heine  grew  worse;  difficulty  of 
breathing  and  cramps  of  the  chest  became  more 
frequent,  often  compelling  him  to  pass  whole 
nights  in  a  sitting  position  in  bed.  Sleeplessness 
produced  great  weakness ;  but  notwithstanding 
this  the  poet  worked  every  day  for  two  or  three 
hours.  Cramp-like  vomitings,  which  were  not  to 
be  repressed,  began  three  days  before  his  death, 
and  Dr.  Gruby's  orders  to  keep  ice  bandages  on 
his  stomach  were  able  to  effect  only  passing 
relief.  The  last  night  was  extremely  painful,  his 
weakness  grew  worse,  and  the  death  pangs  set  in.* 

Up  to  the  last  moment  Heine  kept  entire  con- 
sciousness, and  died  toward  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  on  the  seventeenth  of  February  1856. 

The  funeral  took  place  the  twentieth  of  Feb- 
ruary on  a  foggy,  cold  winter  morning  at  eleven 
o'clock,  and  in  accordance  with  the  wish  ex- 
pressed in  his  will  to  be  buried  quietly  and 
without  ceremonies  in  the  cemetery  of  Mont- 
martre.f 

*  See  Appendix  for  the  letter  of  the  nurse  Catherine  Bourlois 
to  Heine's  sister. 

f  See  Appendix  for  the  complete  legal  will,  after  the  original. 
The  German  edition  gives  the  French,  not  a  translation  into  Ger- 
man. In  this  edition  the  will  is  given  in  English  translated  from 
the  French.— TR. 


3°4       FAMIL  Y  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

The  news  of  the  death  fell  upon  his  sister  with 
crushing  effect ;  when  she  left  her  brother  a  little 
while  before  she  had  not  believed  that  the  day 
of  deliverance  from  his  sufferings  could  arrive  so 
soon,  and  the  sorrow  of  his  old  mother  who  sur- 
vived him  makes  description  pointless.  The  loss 
of  her  favorite  and  the  pride  of  her  life  threw  her 
on  her  sick  bed;  but  her  powerful  constitution 
won  the  battle,  and  it  was  not  till  three  years 
later  that  she  slept  her  last  sleep,  on  the  third  of 
September  1859;  sne  a"d  her  faithful  companion 
died  on  the  same  day  of  the  cholera,  which  was 
then  raging  in  Hamburg  in  the  most  frightful 
way. 

Scarcely  had  the  earth  been  packed  on  Heine's 
grave  when  a  profitless  open  quarrel  broke  out 
between  his  brother  Gustav  and  Mathilde  as  to 
which  had  the  right  to  raise  a  monument  to  the 
poet. 

Concerning  this  matter,  I  had  from  Mme. 
Mathilde's  side  an  exhaustive  document,  which 
will  be  found  in  the  Appendix ;  for  the  rest  I 
limit  myself  to  the  publication  of  few  of  her 
letters,  because  they  were  neither  composed  nor 
written  by  her,  and  merely  contain  the  signa- 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        305 

ture     Veuve  Henri  Heine   written    in   her   own 
hand. 

Another  letter  from  Mathilde  informed  me 
that  she  did  not  intend  to  carry  out  the  third 
article  of  my  uncle's  will.* 

This  article  reads  :  "  I  desire  that  after  my 
death  all  my  papers  and  my  entire  correspond- 
ence, carefully  sealed,  shall  be  kept  for  the 
action  of  my  nephew  Ludwig  von  Embden,  to 
whom  I  shall  impart  my  further  intentions  con- 
cerning them  as  to  the  use  which  he  shall  make 
of  them,  without  prejudice  to  the  proprietary 
rights  of  my  general  legatee." 

Mme.  Mathilde  based  her  refusal  to  hand  the 
papers  over  to  me  on  the  ground  that  in  the 
past  summer  my  uncle  had  wanted  to  make 
another  will  and  that  she  had  classified  and 
examined  the  papers  left  behind  without  having 
discovered  the  written  instructions  which  I  de- 
manded. These  statements  are  to  be  traced  to 
the  counsels  of  Mme.  Mathilde's  lawyer,  a  cer- 
tain Mr.  Julia,  and  contradict  the  information 

*  Letters  from  Mme.  Mathilde  Heine  in  the  Appendix. 
(Translated  in  this  edition  ;  the  original  French  in  the  German 
edition.) 


3°6       FA  MIL  V  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

given  by  my  mother,  who  had  canvassed  this 
matter  at  length  with  her  brother  two  months 
before  his  death. 

Mr.  Julia  exercised  an  unlimited  influence  on 
Mme.  Mathilde  and  although  no  document 
from  Heinrich  Heine  justified  it,  and  his  ig- 
norance of  the  German  language  did  not  make 
him  competent  so  to  do,  tried  to  usurp  my  rights 
under  the  will.  My  feelings  rejected  a  lawsuit 
directed  against  Mme.  Mathilde,  since  I  had 
sworn  to  my  uncle  always  to  grant  his  wife  pro- 
tection and  assistance,  and  I  limited  my  action 
to  urging  the  fulfillment  of  the  testamentary 
orders  in  the  most  friendly  fashion.  But  my 
efforts  only  had  effect  when  Mme.  Mathilde 
had  completely  thrown  Mr.  Julia  over  for  reasons 
which  must  be  kept  from  publication  and  which 
prepared  a  lamentable  close  to  his  unauthorized 
interference. 

Mme.  Mathilde  placed  all  the  papers  left  be- 
hind at  my  command  with  the  exception  of  a 
fragmentary  memoir*  which  I  was  not  to  receive 

*  For  this  amusing  fragmentary  memoir,  see  vol.  v.  p.  263.  Six 
pages  were  destroyed  by  Max  Heine,  whose  pride  seems  to  have 
been  shocked  by  his  brother's  allusions  to  family  skeletons.  See 
page  316.— TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       307 

until  after  her  death,  and  which  she  would  not 
permit  out  of  her  own  hands,  because  she  had  been 
advised  to  threaten  the  family  with  its  publica- 
tion in  case  her  pension  were  ever  withdrawn. 

After  a  careful  examination  of  all  the  papers 
left  behind,  I  had  the  unpublished  manuscripts 
sent  to  my  house  in  Hamburg,  leaving  in  Paris 
those  of  less  importance.  There  remained  in 
Paris,  carefully  packed  up,  beside  these  frag- 
ments of  a  memoir,  several  packages  of  odds  and 
ends  of  manuscripts  already  published  and  the 
letters  addressed  to  Heinrich  Heine,  the  over- 
whelming majority  of  which  consisted  of  the 
business  correspondence  with  Julius  Campe. 

At  the  time  it  occurred  Mme.  Mathilde's  death 
was  concealed  from  us;  neither  my  mother  nor 
myself  were  notified  and  we  only  learned  of 
her  burial  through  the  newspapers.  I  at  once 
empowered  my  nephew,  then  domiciled  in  Paris, 
to  claim  the  papers  of  H.  Heine  left  behind,  but 
received  answer  that  it  was  too  late,  since  every- 
thing had  been  legally  put  under  seal.  From  a 
childish  fear  of  death  Mme.  Mathilde  had  made 
no  will  and  had  died  suddenly  of  an  apoplexy. 
As  heiress  at  law  the  widow  Mme.  Fauvet,  an 


3°8       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

old  cousin  of  Mathilde,  took  out  papers;  her 
maiden  name  was  Mirat  and  she  lived  in  the  village 
of  Vinot.  The  inevitable  Mr.  Julia  had  caused 
himself  to  be  appointed  attorney  for  this  lawful 
heir,  and  in  her  name  he  seized  everything,  even 
the  papers  of  Heinrich  Heine  left  by  me  in  Paris. 

I  demanded  in  the  most  energetic  way  from 
Mr.  Julia,  who  had  settled  himself  to  housekeep- 
ing in  Mme.  Mathilde's  abode,  the  delivery  of 
the  papers  ;  for  it  could  hardly  meet  with  the 
purposes  of  my  uncle  Henry  Heine,  the  actual 
testator,  that  his  papers  should  go  into  the  pos- 
session of  strangers. 

The  correspondence  led  to  no  result  and  I 
went  to  Paris  in  order  to  begin  a  suit  against 
Mr.  Julia.  My  lawyer  asserted  that  he  could  not 
undertake  an  action  against  Mr.  Julia  until  I  had 
won  a  suit  in  all  forms  against  the  heir  at  law  of 
the  widow  Heine,  the  widowed  Mme.  Fauvet. 
In  order  not  to  carry  on  as  a  German  a  weari- 
some and  costly  suit  in  the  French  courts,  I 
proposed  to  the  heiress  to  pay  a  sum  of  money 
for  her  supposed  rights  as  heir  to  the  Heine 
papers,  but  stipulated  that  Mr.  Julia  must  bind 
himself  by  notarial  act  that  all  had  been  given 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       309 

up  which  so  far  as  he  knew  had  been  found. 
The  latter  clause  was  the  reason  why  I  never 
received  an  offer  to  buy  the  papers  as  Mr.  Julia 
promised,  and  why  Mr.  Julia,  who  had  decidedly 
denied  to  me  the  existence  of  a  fragmentary 
memoir,  sold  the  few  pages  of  which  that  memoir 
consisted  to  Die  Gartenlanbe  and  Mr.  Julius 
Campe  for  sixteen  thousand  francs,  after  a  ter- 
rible amount  of  advertising  and  through  the 
offices  of  a  Berlin  litterateur. 

Mr.  Julia  boasted  that  he  was  the  heir  of 
the  Heine  relics,  but  concealed  the  actual  fact 
how  it  wras  that  the  fragmentary  memoir  got 
into  his  hands ;  his  statements  concerning  it 
in  R.  Fleischer's  Deutsche  Revue,  as  well  as  in 
various  German  and  French  periodicals,  state- 
ments which  bore  on  their  faces  the  stamp  of 
dull  invention,  stood  in  sharp  contrast  with  the 
well  known  official  documents  hitherto  made 
public. 

In  his  biography  of  Heinrich  Heine,  Strodt- 
mann  says  that  Campe  was  exposed  after  the 
death  of  the  poet  to  the  most  annoying  vexa- 
tions on  the  part  of  the  Heine  family,  that  the 


310       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

latter  declined  to  give  assistance  in  the  complete 
edition  of  Heine's  works,  that  they  withheld 
from  him  the  papers  left  behind,  together  with 
the  document  therein  drawn  up  for  the  proper 
arrangement  of  the  volumes,  and  that  they  asked 
a  fabulous  sum  from  him,  first  thirty  thousand 
and  then  twelve  thousand  francs. 

In  order  to  establish  the  facts  in  this  particu- 
lar, I  may  remark  that  as  soon  as  Mr.  Campe  the 
elder  urged  me  to  get  him  the  papers,  and  as 
soon  as  I  had  obtained  the  command  of  them 
and  offered  them  to  him  for  fifteen  thousand 
francs,  he  bid  twelve  thousand  francs  for  them 
at  once.  Then  I  went  personally  to  Paris  in 
order  to  recommend  the  sale  to  Mme.  Ma- 
thilde.  It  should  be  understood  that,  according 
to  my  supposition,  there  was  a  good  deal  among 
the  papers  which  had  been  sold  before  to  Campe, 
but  had  been  rejected  by  the  censorship  and  not 
published.  In  any  event  a  lawsuit  would  not 
have  failed  to  occur  had  I  given  over  the  papers 
to  another  publisher,  for  I  knew  old  Campe 
only  too  well.  Upon  my  return  I  informed  Mr. 
Campe  that  the  widowed  Mrs.  Heine  would 
accept  his  offer,  whereupon  he  answered  :  "  It  is 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       311 

now  too  late.  The  complete  works  are  now  in 
the  press,  and  I  will  only  give  half  that  sum." 

Irritated  by  this  I  broke  off  all  negotiations, 
and  after  Campe's  death  sold  the  papers  to  his  son 
and  successor  for  ten  thousand  francs,  which  sum 
the  widow  Heine  received  intact.  In  1869  the 
papers  left  behind  appeared,  excellently  edited 
by  Strodtmann,  as  a  supplementary  volume  to 
the  great  complete  works;  as  he  informed  me,  it 
was  of  very  respectable  profit  to  the  publisher. 

The  complete  works  which  had  appeared 
before  (1861-62)  were  published  by  the  elder 
Campe  without  an  invitation  to  any  member  of 
the  family  to  aid  him  and  were  edited  by  Strodt- 
mann. The  orders  of  Heine  were  ignored  not 
to  add  anything  and  to  leave  out  whatever 
might  cause  hard  feeling.  The  complete  edition 
included  much  that  was  not  printed  before  and 
in  any  event  ought  never  to  have  been  published, 
as,  for  instance,  the  poerns  "Schlosslegende," 
"  Die  Weber  "  *  and  so  forth. 

In  the  fourth  article  of  his  will  Heinrich 
Heine  ordered : 

*  For  "  Die  Weber,"  a  savage  attack  on  Germany  for  her  ilav- 
ishness  and  apathy,  see  vol.  ii.  p.  129. — TR. 


312       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

"  If  my  friend  Campe,  the  publisher  of  my 
works,  desires  to  make  any  alterations  in  the 
way  and  order  after  which  I  have  arranged  my 
different  writings  in  the  prospectus  stated,  I  desire 
that  no  obstacles  be  placed  in  his  way  in  this  re- 
gard, since  I  have  always  gladly  adapted  myself  to 
his  necessities  as  a  publisher  of  books.  The  main 
point  is  that  not  a  line  shall  be  thrust  into  my 
writings  which  I  have  not  expressly  intended  for 
publication,  or  which  has  been  printed  without 
the  subscription  of  my  full  name.  An  assumed 
initial  is  not  enough  to  ascribe  to  me  a  given  bit 
of  writing  which  has  been  published  in  one 
journal  or  another,  since  the  indication  of  the  au- 
thor by  means  of  initials  always  depended  on  the 
editors-in-chief,  who  never  could  deny  themselves 
the  habit  of  undertaking  to  make  changes  in  the 
contents  or  form  of  an  article  signed  with  initials. 

"  I  forbid  expressly  that  under  any  excuse 
whatever,  any  piece  of  writing  whatever  by  an- 
other person,  be  that  writing  as  short  as  may  be, 
shall  be  added  on  to  my  works,  unless  it  were  a 
biographical  notice  from  the  pen  of  one  of  my 
old  friends  whom  I  had  expressly  intrusted  with 
such  work.  I  am  taking  for  granted  that  my 


FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEiNkicH  HEINE.     313 

desire  in  this  particular  will  be  carried  out  loyally 
in  its  fullest  sense,  that  is  to  say,  that  my  works 
shall  not  be  used  to  take  a  stranger's  writing  m 
tow  or  to  give  that  writing  publicity." 

At  the  breaking  down  of  negotiations  for  the 
papers  left  behind  Campe  had  offered  three 
thousand  francs  for  the  handing  over  of  the 
document  made  by  Heine  for  the  arrangement 
of  the  complete  works,  but  Mathilde  Heine  de- 
clined the  offer  squarely  in  the  hope  that  in  that 
way  she  would  cause  him  to  accept  her  demand 
for  the  whole. 

This  refusal  may  have  been  the  reason  why 
Campe  thenceforward  did  not  consider  himself 
bound  by  the  foregoing  orders  of  the  will,  es- 
pecially as  the  public  urgently  called  for  an  edi- 
tion augmented  in  all  its  parts.  It  must  be  re- 
corded of  Adolf  Strodtmann,  the  editor,  that  he 
accomplished  this  task  with  skill,  but  that  by  too 
great  zeal  in  the  endeavor  to  omit  nothing  from 
the  complete  works  he  went  too  far. 

In  1864  the  differences  between  Mme.  Mathilde 
and  the  French  publishers  were  arranged  by 
me,  differences  arising  because  the  former  be- 


3H       FAMILY  LIFE  OF  HEINRICH  HELVE. 

lieved  that  she  had  been  deprived  of  some  of  her 
royalties.  I  had  no  misgivings  in  fulfilling  her 
wish  to  exchange  her  royalty  of  twenty-five  cen- 
times per  volume  for  a  single  payment  of  capital, 
since  her  annual  pension  from  Carl  Heine  (five 
thousand  francs)  and  that  from  Julius  Campe 
(about  three  thousand  four  hundred  francs)  suf- 
ficed to  assure  her  a  support  for  the  term  of  her 
life.  I  sold  the  royalty  rights  of  Mme.  Mathilde 
to  the  Messrs.  Levy  Freres  for  the  sum  of 
17,500  francs,  and  after  my  departure  from  Paris 
she  was  paid  that  sum  in  full. 

But  new  quarrels  arose  when  the  letters  of 
Heinrich  Heine  appeared  (1866)  in  French  ;  Mme. 
Heine  believed  that  she  could  demand  from  the 
Messrs.  LeVy  Freres  an  extra  sum,  which  the 
latter  refused.* 

The  lawsuit  which  followed  turned  against  the 
claims  of  the  widow  Heine,  despite  the  fact  that 
the  famous  lawyer  Jules  Favre  employed  his 
whole  powers  of  persuasion  to  defend  her  claims. 

The  mistaken  notion  that  there  exist  unprinted 
manuscripts  of  Heinrich  Heine,  which  has  held 

*  See  Appendix  for  letters  of  Mathilde  Heine— the  French 
original  in  the  German  edition,  a  translation  in  this. — TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.       315 

its  own  down  to  the  present,  was  openly  met 
during  her  lifetime  by  Mme.  Mathilde  by  the 
declaration  :  "  that  no  one  in  rightful  fashion 
owns  any,  and  whoever  does  possess  any  is 
called  upon  to  make  it  known."  Furthermore 
the  widow  of  Heinrich  Heine  declared  in  1869  in 
the  contract  of  sale  for  the  remaining  manuscripts 
with  the  Messrs.  Hoffmann  &  Campe*  "that  all 
the  manuscripts  in  the  literary  remains  of  Hein- 
rich Heine  are  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  von  Embden, 
that  she  (Mme.  Heine)  does  not  own  any  other 
poems  or  written  works  with  the  exception  of  a 
fragmentary  memoir,  which  is  not  to  be  pub- 
lished for  the  present,  and  that  she  authorizes 
the  Messrs.  Hoffman  &  Campe  to  attack  any- 
body, whoever  it  might  be,  who  should  publish 
anything  not  yet  printed." 

Strodtmann  made  the  mistake  of  believing  that 
all  the  manuscripts  which  Heine  mentioned  in 
his  correspondence  from  1823  on  were  in  exist- 
ence, forgetting  that  much  was  destroyed  in  the 
fire  at  Hamburg ;  and  later  biographies  repeat 
the  same  thing  with  a  mysterious  solemnity,  re- 

*  See  Appendix  for  the  contract  of  sale  made  with  Hoffmann 
&  Campe. 


3i          FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEItfRICtf  HEINE. 

lying  on  untrustworthy  persons  without  offering 
any  practical  grounds  for  their  assertions. 

With  respect  to  the  memoir  I  would  like  to 
call  to  mind  once  more  that  in  1833  and  1842  a 
considerable  amount  of  manuscript  was  lost  by 
conflagrations,  and  that  the  poet  himself  destroyed 
them  in  part  voluntarily  after  his  reconciliation 
with  Carl  Heine.  And  even  before  that,  in 
consequence  of  financial  troubles,  he  had  wedged 
in  various  bits  from  the  memoirs  into  different 
works  piece  by  piece;  for  instance,  into  his 
"  Confessions "  and  the  book  about  Borne. 
Throughout  his  life  down  to  his  death  Heine 
wrote  at  his  memoirs  and  cherished  the  pur- 
pose of  publishing  the  parts  already  issued  along 
with  the  newly  added  as  a  rounded  work.  A 
good  part  of  the  fragment  published  in  1884 
was  destroyed  in  the  most  unauthorized  way  by 
Heine's  brother  Max*  in  1867,  when  he  visited 
the  Exposition  in  Paris  and  when  Mme. 
Mathilde  permitted  him  in  a  friendly  spirit  to 
look  it  through.  Mme.  Mathilde  was  naturally 
very  much  excited  at  this,  called  me  to  Paris,  and 
when  I  demanded  of  my  uncle  an  explanation 
*  See  vol.  v.  p.  266.— TR. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE.       31? 

for  this  act  of  violence,  he  answered :  "  It 
was  necessary  for  the  fame  of  his  brother  to 
destroy  the  last  pages  of  a  memoir  written  in  the 
heat  of  fever  in  order  to  make  the  fragmentary 
memoir  left  in  Mathilde's  hands  innocuous." 

Mme.  Mathilde  was  unfortunately  counseled 
badly  only  too  often,  and  the  remains,  before 
they  came  into  my  hands,  were  offered  to  the 
French  Government  under  Napoleon  III  for  sale 
at  thirty  thousand  francs,  which  was  refused 
after  a  little  negotiation.  The  talk,  lately 
revamped,  that  the  memoirs  of  Heine  exist  in 
the  secret  archives  of  the  Austrian  Government 
may  have  sprung  up  at  the  time  from  this  fact, 
that  Mr.  von  Friedland,  a  friend  of  Heine  for 
many  years,  persuaded  the  readily  excited 
Mme.  Mathilde  to  lend  him  the  memoir  manu- 
scripts in  order  to  offer  them  for  sale  to  the  Aus- 
trian Government  through  the  instrumentality  of 
Prince  Metternich.  When  I  came  to  Paris  and 
to  my  astonishment  heard  of  it,  I  caused  Mme. 
Mathilde  to  demand  the  fragmentary  memoir 
back  in  energetic  fashion,  and  after  they  had 
made  sure  of  its  harmless  contents  it  was  re- 
turned to  her  with  thanks.  There  are  no  manu- 


31 8       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.     • 

scripts  of  Heine  in  the  hands  of  the  Austrian 
Government  except  a  few  pages  of  writing — 
autographs  which  were  graciously  accepted  by 
her  Majesty  the  Empress  in  1887  as  a  great 
admirer  of  Heine,  on  the  occasion  of  her  visit 
to  my  mother  in  Hamburg. 

That  exalted  lady  cherishes  an  outspoken 
partiality  for  Heinrich  Heine  based  upon  the 
finest  understanding  of  him,  and  when  the  proj- 
ect of  a  memorial  in  Diisseldorf,  patronized  by 
her,  came  to  nothing,  she  raised  to  the  poet  a 
monument  glorious  and  full  of  sentiment  in  her 
marble  fairy-palace  Achilleion  on  the  island  of 
Corfu,  such  a  monument  as  could  hardly  have 
been  his  in  the  fatherland.*  A  stairway  of  white 
marble  of  more  than  a  hundred  steps  leads  up 
from  the  seashore  by  the  slope  of  a  wooded  hill, 
and  high  above  on  a  piece  that  juts  off  from  the 
stair  there  rises  a  six-columned  temple  of  white 
marble  open  on  all  sides,  with  a  rounded  roof. 
In  the  center  of  this  graceful  building,  shaded  by 
enormous  silvery  gray  olive  trees,  is  the  life  size 
portrait  of  Heinrich  Heine  in  marble,  a  creation 
of  the  Danish  sculptor  Hasselriis,  who  lives  in 
*  Sec  the  cut  after  a  photograph  of  this  statue.— TR. 


THE   MARBLE   STATUE   HY    HASSELRIIS,  ERECTED   AT   CORFU 
BY  THE  EMPRESS  OK  AUSTRIA. 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE.        319 

Rome.  The  serious  statue,  full  of  sentiment, 
looks  out  on  that  sea  which  the  poet  has  sung 
so  truly  and  with  such  touching  beauty,  and 
represents  him  sitting  in  the  last  stage  of  his  in- 
curable sickness,  with  head  hanging  forward  and 
closed  eyes  from  which  the  tears  are  oozing. 
One  hand  holds  a  pencil,  the  other  a  piece  of 
paper  with  the  words  of  the  song: 

Whence,  with  a  blur  of  vision, 

Com'st  thou,  O  lonely  tear? 
Mine  eyes  have  kept  thee  hidden 

This  many  a  long  past  year. 

Mine.  Mathilde  lived  for  a  long  period  in 
an  unpretending,  very  comfortable  dwelling  aux 
Batignolles  rue  I'Ecluse,  the  back  of  which  per- 
mitted of  a  view  upon  gardens  full  of  flowers. 
In  that  house  there  ruled  the  most  perfect  order 
and  cleanliness,  to  which  the  industrious  Pauline 
attended  with  never  a  break.  Mme.  Mathilde's 
recreations  consisted  of  a  visit  to  the  circus  or 
the  little  theater  on  the  boulevard  when  amusing 
pieces  were  played  there,  or  else  of  a  walk  with 
Pauline  to  the  Champs  Elysees.*  Besides  this 
a  weighty  role  was  played  in  her  case  by  the 

1  For  Heine's  forecast  of  his  wife's  behavior  after  his  death,  see 
the  amusing  verses  "Gedachtnissfeier,"  vol.  iii.  p.  118. — TR, 


320       FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HEINRICH  HEINE. 

pleasures  of  the  table,  and  if  I  was  her  guest  she 
had  the  favorite  dish  of  her  pauvre  Henri  pre- 
pared and  in  accordance  with  her  childlike 
character  thought  in  that  way  to  honor  his 
memory  very  specially.  It  was  touching  with 
what  pious  affection  she  talked  about  him  and 
confided  to  me  that  people  had  often  asked  for 
her  hand  in  marriage,  but  that  she  could  never 
make  up  her  mind  to  forget  her  Henri  and  lay 
aside  his  famous  name. 

When  her  pauvre  Henri  was  very  angry  indeed 
because  she  had  spent  too  much  money,  or 
sorrowfully  thought  about  his  mother  and  sister 
in  Germany,  a  single  caress  had  ever  been  suffi- 
cient to  turn  his  mood  to  gayety  and  gladness. 

Here  comes,  as  lovely  as  the  dawn  to-morrow, 
My  wife,  and  smiles  away  my  German  sorrow  ! 

Mathilde  was  a  great  lover  of  animals  ;  besides 
Cocotte  she  had  an  aviary  with  fifty  or  sixty 
canaries,  and  three  white  Bologna  dogs.  When 
the  whole  menagerie  began  to  scream,  twitter 
and  bark  the  noise  was  unbearable,  and  when  I 
made  as  if  to  run  away  in  a  hurry,  she  would  say 
in  a  surprised  tone:  C'est  drole  ;  vous  etes  comme 
votre  oncle,  qui  naimait  pas 


FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE1NRICH  HEINE.       321 

During  the  siege  Mathilde  remained  in  Paris, 
and  later  complained  to  me  of  what  she  had  to 
stand  during  that  time;  she  had  to  give  two 
hundred  francs  for  a  chicken.  Then  when  I  ex- 
pressed my  astonishment  that  she  could  have  paid 
such  a  price,  she  would  answer,  smiling :  Que 
faire,  si  cetait  le  prix  ?  She  never  learned  to 
value  the  worth  of  money  and  always  remained 
the  big,  harmless  child  she  had  been  !  She  gen- 
erally passed  the  summer  months  in  the  country, 
and  about  two  years  before  her  death  I  visited 
her  for  the  last  time  in  Longjumeau,  where  she 
was  then  staying ;  it  was  in  an  airy,  roomy  dwell- 
ing and  she  showed  me  with  childlike  joy  the 
fruit  trees  and  shady  arbors  in  the  big  garden. 

Since  my  last  meeting  with  her  Mathilde's 
exterior  had  greatly"  changed ;  her  hair  had 
whitened,  her  corpulency  had  increased  in  a 
frightful  degree,  and  complaints  of  rheumatic 
troubles  fell  from  the  mouth  which  formerly 
only  laughed.  After  a  copious  breakfast  the 
usual  pleasant  mood  returned  to  her  once  more, 
and  after  a  few  hours  of  happy  conference  when 
she  embraced  me  for  good-by  she  little  imagined 
that  there  would  be  no  further  meeting  between  us. 


322        FAMILY  LIFE   OF  HE  IN  RICH  HEINE. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  February  1883,  on  the 
day  that  her  husband  died,  Mathilde  stood  at 
the  window  of  her  house  in  Passy,  and  though 
but  a  little  before  she  had  been  talking  with 
Pauline,  fell  suddenly  to  the  floor  dead,  struck 
by  an  apoplexy. 

After  twenty-seven  years  the  grave  reunited 
her  once  more  with  her  beloved  husband,  whose 
life  she  had  brightened  with  her  loveliness  and 
gay  spirits  and  whose  heavy  sufferings  during 
so  many  hours  she  had  driven  from  his  mind  ! 

May  the  publication  of  the  foregoing  family  let- 
ters of  Heinrich  Heine,  knit  together  with  a  brief 
glance  at  his  earlier  life,  serve  as  a  guard  against 
further  misleading  statements  concerning  the 
poet,  as  well  as  concerning  his  relations  to  his 
family !  and  at  the  same  time  may  it  serve  the 
dead  as  a  permanent  work  of  reminiscence  and 
of  admiration. 

We  may  fairly  suit  his  own  words  to  these 
letters  : 

All  my  torture  and  lamentings, 
Lo,  within  this  book  I  pour  you, 

And  when  you  have  raised  the  cover 
Open  lies  my  heart  before  you. 


APPENDIX. 

I.  Letter  of  the  nurse,  Mrs.  Catherine  Bourlois,  as  to  the 

passing  hour  of  Heinrich  Heine. 

II.  Will  of  Heinrich  Heine  recorded  in  Paris,  February  20, 
1856. 

III.  Letters  from  Mrs.  Mathilde  Heine. 

IV.  Answer  of  the  French  publishers,  the  Messrs.  M.  LeVy. 
V.  Contract  of  sale  of  Heinrich  Heine's  literary  remains  to 

Messrs.  Hoffmann  &  Campe. 


APPENDIX. 


i 

LETTER  FROM  THE  NURSE  CATHERINE  BOUR- 
LOIS  TO  MRS.  CHARLOTTE  EMBDEN  IN  HAM- 
BURG. 

(  Translated  from  the  French?) 

PARIS,  March  II,  1858. 
MADAME : 

I  have  just  sent  to  your  honored  brother  very 
long  details  which  he  asked  for  concerning 
the  death  of  Mr.  Heine.  Mme.  Mathilde,  your 
sister-in-law,  left  the  house  of  the  dead  one  hour 
and  a  half  before  the  interment;  she  has  not  yet 
returned  to  the  house  on  Avenue  Montaigne, 
but  Miss  Pauline  comes  every  day  to  get  her  let- 
ters from  the  janitor.  I  do  not  know  Mme. 
Heine's  address. 

The  day  preceding  his  death  my  poor  mas- 
ter said  :  "  I  am  glad  my  family  has  come,  for  I 


326  APPENDIX. 


shall  never  see  them  more."  He  regretted  very 
much  not  to  have  written  on  Wednesday,  be- 
cause later  he  was  no  longer  able  to.  During  the 
last  night  he  kept  repeating,  as  he  had  repeated 
on  Friday  :  "  I  am  done  for !  "  during  that 
fatal  night  I  had  a  watcher  with  me  and  I  went 
to  wake  Miss  Pauline  when  I  saw  the  end  ap- 
proaching I  could  have  easily  called  Madame,but 
the  least  noise  might  have  made  his  last  moments 
more  painful,  and  I  feared  the  effect  that  the 
death  of  a  husband  ought  to  produce  on  his 
wife,  nevertheless  Miss  Pauline  ran  to  Madame's 
room  just  before  the  final  moment,  and  I  only 
had  time  t<3  tell  her  on  the  threshold  of  the 
door:  "  All  is  over  !" 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  before  dying,  Mr.  Heine 
had  complete  consciousness.  I  encouraged  him 
and  consoled  him  as  well  as  I  could  every 
moment,  but  he  saw  as  we  did  that  the  medi. 
cines  produced  no  relief  whatever.  The  at- 
tachment he  had  for  you  and  the  demand  you 
made  on  me  when  leaving  made  it  my  duty  to 
write  to  you  ;  I  have  done  so  without  notifying 
Mme.  Heine,  will  you  therefore  please,  Madame, 
avoid  speaking  to  her  of  my  letters?  and  if  you 


APPENDIX.  327 


have  new  commands  to  lay  on  me,  please  add  to 
my  address :  Commune  de  Passy,  Rue  du  bel  air, 
barriere  de  1'Etoile,  Paris. 

Not  having  been  correctly  addressed,  your 
letter  did  not  arrive  till  the  Qth. 

I  am,  Madame,  your  very  humble  servant, 
CATHERINE  BOURLOIS. 

I  should  add  that  on  Saturday  at  four  or  five 
in  the  afternoon  Master  called  me  three  times  in 
succession  he  told  me  to  write  .  .  .  but  not 
understanding  the  meaning  of  his  words  and 
not  wishing  to  force  him  to  repeat  them,  I 
answered  Yes.  I  said  to  him  a  little  later : 
when  your  vomiting  ceases  you  must  write 
yourself ;  he  answered,  I  am  going  to  die. 


II 

WILL   OF   HEINRICH   HEINE. 
(  Translated  from  the  French?) 

Before  Mr.  Ferdinand  Le"on  Ducloux  and  Mr. 
Charles  Emile  Rousse,  notaries  of  Paris  sub- 
scribing, 

And  in  the  presence  of : 

1.  Mr.  Michel  Jacob,  merchant   baker,  living  in 
Paris  at  No.  60  Rue  d'Amsterdam, 

2.  And    Mr.  Eugene  Grouchy,  merchant   grocer, 
living  in  Paris  at  No.  52  Rue  d'Amsterdam, 
Both   the   witnesses   being   clothed   with   the 

conditions  demanded  by  law  according  as  they 
have  made  declaration  to  the  notaries  subscribed 
in  the  examination  which  has  been  made  of  each 
of  them  separately, 

And  in  the  bedchamber  of  Mr.  Heine,  herein- 
after mentioned,  situate  on  the  second  story  of 
No.  50,  a  house  on  the  Rue  d'Amsterdam,  in 
which  bedchamber,  lighted  by  a  window  on  the 
courtyard,  the  notaries  and  the  witnesses  chosen 


APPENDIX.  329 


by  the  testator  came  together  at  the  express 
demand  of  the  latter 

Appeared 

Mr.  Henri  Heine,  man  of  letters  and  doctor  of 
laws,  living  in  Paris  at  No.  50  Rue  d'Amsterdam. 

The  same  being  sick  of  body,  but  well  in  mind, 
memory  and  hearing,  according  as  it  appeared 
to  the  said  notaries  and  witnesses  after  convers- 
ing with  him,  has,  in  consideration  of  his  death, 
dictate,  to  the  said  Mr.  Ducloux,  in  presence  of 
Mr.  Rousse  and  the  witnesses,  his  will  and  testa- 
ment in  the  following  manner : 

§  i.  I  constitute  for  my  universal  legatee  Mme. 
Mathilde  Crescense  Heine,  born  Mirat,  my  legal 
spouse,  with  whom  for  many  long  years  I  have 
passed  my  good  seasons  and  bad,  and  who  has 
cared  for  me  during  the  long  and  cruel  continu- 
ance of  my  malady.  I  leave  to  her  in  full  and 
complete  ownership,  and  without  any  conditions 
or  restrictions,  everything  that  I  possess  and 
that  I  may  possess  at  my  death,  and  all  my 
rights  and  dues  under  any  form  soever. 

§  2.  At  a  time  when  I  looked  forward  to  a 
wealthy  future,  I  parted  with  all  my  literary 
property  on  very  modest  terms ;  unfortunate 


33°  APPENDIX. 


events  have  the  rather  swallowed  up  the  little 
means  I  owned  and  my  disease  does  not  allow 
me  to  relieve  my  fortunes  a  little  for  the  benefit 
of  my  wife.  The  pension  which  I  enjoy  from 
my  uncle,  the  late  Salomon  Heine,  and  which 
was  always  the  foundation  of  my  estimate  of 
income,  has  been  assured  to  my  wife  in  part  only. 
I  myself  desired  that  it  should  be  so.  At  the 
present  moment  I  feel  the  greatest  regret  at 
having  failed  to  arrange  better  for  the  comfort 
of  my  wife  after  my  death.  The  said  pension 
from  my  uncle  represented  in  the  beginning  the 
interest  on  a  sum  of  money  which  that  paternal 
benefactor  did  not  care  to  place  in  the  hands  of 
one  like  myself,  a  poet  unused  to  business,  in 
order  to  assure  to  me  a  lasting  enjoyment 
thereof.  I  was  counting  on  that  annuity  when 
I  joined  to  my  own  lot  a  person  whom  my  uncle 
honored  greatly  and  to  whom  he  gave  many  a 
sign  of  affection — though  he  has  done  nothing 
for  her  of  an  official  sort  in  the  arrangements  for 
his  will.  It  is  no  less  to  be  presumed  that  this 
forgetfulness  was  due  to  a  fatal  chance  rather 
than  the  sentiments  of  the  deceased.  He  whose 
generosity  has  enriched  and  dowered  so  many 


APPENDIX.  331 


persons  who  are  strangers  to  his  family  and  his 
heart  cannot  be  accused  of  a  shabby  stinginess 
when  the  matter  at  issue  was  the  lot  of  the  wife 
of  a  nephew  who  has  made  his  name  glorious. 
The  slightest  gestures  and  words  of  a  man  who 
was  generosity  itself  ought  to  be  interpreted  as 
generous.  A  son  worthy  of  his  father,  my 
cousin  Charles  Heine  has  agreed  with  me  in 
these  opinions,  and  with  a  noble  eagerness  he 
acceded  to  my  request  when  I  begged  him  to 
take  a  formal  engagement  to  pay  to  my  wife 
after  my  death,  as  an  annuity,  one-half  of  the 
yearly  pension  which  dated  from  his  late 
father ;  that  stipulation  was  entered  into  the 
twenty-fifth  of  February  1847  >  an^  I  am  still 
agitated  at  memory  of  the  noble  reproaches 
which,  notwithstanding  our  differences  of  that 
period,  my  cousin  made  me  on  the  score  of  my 
lack  of  confidence  in  his  feelings  with  regard  to 
my  wife.  When  he  offered  me  his  hand  as  a 
guarantee  of  his  promise,  I  pressed  it  against  my 
poor,  sick  eyes  and  bedewed  it  with  my  tears. 
Since  then  my  position  has  grown  worse  and  my 
illness  has  put  an  end  to  many  of  the  sources  of 
income  which  I  might  have  left  to  my  wife ; 


332  APPENDIX. 


these  unexpected  vicissitudes  and  ofcher  grave 
causes  compel  me  to  apply  again  to  the  worthy  and 
rightful  feelings  of  my  cousin  ;  I  beseech  him  not 
to  lessen  my  said  pension  by  one-half,  but  continue 
it  to  my  wife  after  my  death,  and  to  pay  it  to  her 
in  full  just  as  I  received  it  during  my  uncle's  life. 
I  say  intentionally  "just  as  I  received  it  during 
my  uncle's  life,"  because  for  almost  five  years, 
since  my  illness  has  increased  in  seriousness,  my 
cousin,  Charles  Heine,  has  more  than  doubled  the 
amount  of  my  pension,  a  generous  attention  for 
which  I  cherish  for  him  a  great  gratitude.  It  is 
more  than  likely  that  I  shall  not  need  to  make 
this  appeal  to  the  liberality  of  my  cousin,  because 
I  am  certain  that  with  the  first  bit  of  earth  which 
he  shall  toss  upon  my  tomb,  according  to  his 
right  as  my  nearest  of  kin,  if  he  should  be  in  Paris 
at  the  time  of  my  death,  he  will  forget  all  the 
wretched  grievances  which  I  have  so  greatly  re- 
gretted and  expiated  by  a  long  agony.  Surely 
he  will  then  remember  the  great  friendship  of 
long  ago,  the  affinity  and  similarity  of  feelings 
which  united  us  from  the  time  of  our  tender 
youth ;  and  he  will  vow  an  entirely  fraternal  sen- 
timent of  protection  for  the  widow  of  his  friend  ; 


APPENDIX.  333 


but  it  is  not  useless  for  the  quiet  of  all  concerned 
that  the  living  should  know  what  it  is  that  the 
dead  ask  at  their  hands. 

§  3.  I  desire  that  after  my  death  all  my  papers 
and  all  my  letters  shall  be  scrupulously  locked  up 
and  held  at  the  command  of  my  nephew  Ludwig 
von  Embden,  to  whom  I  shall  give  my  final  in- 
structions as  to  the  use  he  shall  make  of  them, 
without  prejudice  to  the  proprietary  rights  of  my 
universal  legatee. 

§4.  If  I  die  before  the  complete  edition  of  my 
works  shall  have  appeared  and  I  shall  not  have 
been  able  to  preside  at  the  management  of  that 
edition,  or  if  my  death  shall  have  taken  place  be- 
fore it  is  finished,  I  beg  my  relative  Dr.  Rudolph 
Christiani  to  take  my  place  in  the  management  of 
said  publication  while  confining  himself  strictly 
to  the  prospectus  which  I  shall  have  left  for  that 
purpose.  If  my  friend  Mr.  Campe,  the  editor  of 
my  works,  desires  to  make  any  changes  in  the 
method  whereby  I  have  ordered  my  various  writ- 
ings in  the  said  prospectus,  I  desire  that  no  diffi- 
culties be  placed  in  his  way  in  this  respect,  seeing 
that  I  have  always  been  glad  to  accommodate  my- 
self to  his  necessities  as  a  publisher.  The  main 


334  APPENDIX. 


thing  is  that  there  shall  not  be  intercalated  in  my 
writings  any  line  which  I  did  not  expressly  de- 
sign for  publicity  or  which  has  been  printed  with- 
out the  signature  of  my  name  in  full.  A  con- 
ventional initial  is  not  enough  to  attribute  to 
me  a  writing  published  by  some  paper,  seeing 
that  the  indication  of  an  author  by  initials 
always  depended  on  the  editors-in-chief,  who 
moreover  have  never  forbidden  themselves  the 
custom  of  making  radical  changes  or  alterations 
in  form  in  an  article  signed  only  by  initials  ;  I 
expressly  forbid  that  under  any  pretext  any 
writing  by  another,  let  it  be  as  insignificant  as 
it  may,  shall  be  fastened  on  to  my  works,  un- 
less it  should  be  a  biographical  notice  coming 
from  the  pen  of  one  of  my  old  friends  to  whom  I 
have  made  an  express  demand  for  such  a  task.  I 
expect  that  in  this  respect,  that  is  to  say,  that  my 
works  shall  not  be  used  to  take  in  tow,  nor  to 
propagate,  any  alien  work,  my  desires  shall  be 
loyally  carried  out  in  all  their  length  and 
breadth. 

§  5.  I  forbid  that  my  body  after  death  shall  be 
submitted  to  an  autopsy ;  only  as  my  illness  often 
resembles  a  case  of  catalepsy  I  think  that  the 


APPENDIX.  335 


precaution  should  be  taken  to  open  a  vein  before 
my  burial. 

§  6.  If  I  am  in  Paris  at  the  time  of  my  death 
and  am  dwelling  not  too  far  away  from  Mont- 
martre,  I  desire  to  be  buried  in  the  cemetery 
so  named,  since  I  have  a  predilection  for  that 
quarter,  where  I  resided  for  many  years. 

§  7.  I  ask  that  my  burial  procession  shall  be 
as  modest  as  possible,  and  that  the  cost  of  my 
burial  shall  not  exceed  the  ordinary  amount  for 
that  of  the  simplest  citizen.  Although  I  belong 
by  virtue  of  baptism  to  the  Lutheran  confession, 
I  do  not  wish  that  the  clergy  of  that  Church  shall 
be  summoned  to  my  burial ;  I  decline  the  minis- 
tration indeed  of  every  other  priesthood  for  the 
celebration  of  my  obsequies;  this  wish  is  not 
dictated  by  any  feeble  boast  of  a  freethinker's 
position.  For  four  years  past  I  have  abdicated 
every  sort  of  philosophical  pride  and  have  re- 
turned to  religious  ideas  and  feelings.  I  die 
believing  in  the  One  and  Eternal  God,  Creator  of 
the  world,  whose  mercy  I  beseech  for  my  immor- 
tal soul.  I  regret  having  sometimes  spoken  in 
my  writings  of  Sacred  Things  without  the  rever- 
ence which  is  their  due,  but  I  was  drawn  aside 


336  APPENDIX. 


rather  by  the  spirit  of  my  epoch  than  by  my  in- 
dividual leaning.  If,  unknown  to  me,  I  have 
offended  against  righteous  custom  and  morality, 
which  is  the  true  essence  of  all  monotheistic 
beliefs,  I  ask  pardon  therefor  of  God  and  man- 
kind.* I  forbid  that  any  discourse,  either  in  Ger- 
man or  French,  shaJl  be  held  at  my  grave.  At 
the  same  time  I  state  the  wish,  however  happy 
the  lot  of  our  country  shall  become,  that  my 
compatriots  shall  abstain  from  transferring  my 
ashes  to  Germany;  I  have  never  liked  to  lend  my 
person  to  political  mummeries.  The  grand  busi- 
ness of  my  life  has  been  to  labor  for  a  cordial 
understanding  between  Germany  and  France, 
and  to  defeat  the  strategems  of  the  enemies 
of  democracy,  who  for  their  own  gain  exploit 
international  prejudices  and  animosities.  I  be- 
lieve that  I  have  done  well  by  my  compatriots 
as  by  the  French  people  also,  and  the  titles 
to  their  gratitude  which  I  have  earned  are  un- 
doubtedly the  most  precious  legacy  which  I  have 
to  leave  to  my  universal  legatee. 

§  8.  I  nominate  as   executor  of  my  will   Mr. 
Maxime  Joubert,  counselor  at  the  Court  of  Ap- 
*For  Heine's  Apology  see  vol.  xii.  p.  194.— TR. 


APPENDIX.  337 


peals,  and  I  thank  him  for  being  so  good  as  to 
take  the  charge  of  this  office. 

The  above  will  was  dictated  in  these  terms  by 
Mr.  Henri  Heine  and  written  in  its  entirety  by 
the  hand  of  Mr.  Ducloux,  one  of  the  subscribing 
notaries,  just  as  it  was  dictated  to  him  by  the 
testator,  all  in  presence  of  the  said  notaries  and 
witnesses,  the  same,  being  questioned  on  that 
matter,  having  declared  that  they  were  not  the 
relatives  of  the  legatee. 

And  the  same  being  read  to  the  testator  in 
the  presence  of  the  same  persons,  the  testator 
declared  that  it  contained  the  expression  of  his 
wishes. 

Made  and  concluded  at  Paris  in  the  bed- 
chamber of  Mr.  Heine  here  below  inscribed. 

Year  1851,  Thursday,  thirteenth  of  November, 
about  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

And  after  a  re-reading  from  beginning  to  end, 
the  testator  and  witnesses  have  signed  along 
with  the  notaries. 

Registered   at   Paris   in  Third  Bureau 
the  twentieth   of  February  1856. 


Ill 

LETTERS   FROM   MRS.  MATHILDE   HEINE,  WIDOW. 
(  Translated  from  the  French.} 

PARIS,  March  25,  1856. 
MY  DEAR  NEPHEW  : 

I  received  your  two  letters,  and  thank  you  for 
the  kind  words  which  they  contain.  Your  father 
also  honored  me  by  sending  me  a  touching  letter 
which  has  given  me  great  pleasure.  Be  kind 
enough  to  tell  him,  I  beg  you,  that  for  a  long 
while  I  have  cherished  for  him  a  great  esteem, 
and  that  I  make  it  a  duty  in  the  present  instance 
to  send  him,  with  my  most  lively  thanks,  an 
assurance  of  my  most  affectionately  distin- 
guished sentiments. 

I  did  hope,  this  I  confess,  to  find  the  same 
actions  on  the  part  of  all  the  members  of  my 
husband's  family;  my  hopes  in  this  respect  have 
not  been  fulfilled.  Doubtless  you  have  not  been 
without  news  of  the  very  serious  offense  which 
I  have  received  from  my  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Gus- 
338 


APPENDIX  339 


tave  Heine  of  Vienna.  He  was  not  content  with 
giving  no  sign  of  life  in  my  regard,  although  I 
had  begged  Dr.  Gruby,  my  husband's  physician, 
to  announce  to  him  the  death  of  his  brother,  as 
to  the  other  members  of  the  family.  After  hav- 
ing abandoned  me  to  my  own  resources  in  the 
accomplishment  of  the  first  and  indispensable 
duties,  those  which  are  effected  without  noise 
and  such  as  are  not  put  in  the  newspapers,  with 
the  result  that  I  was  obliged  to  have  recourse  to 
strangers,  he  caused  to  be  published  in  a  Ger- 
man paper  and  reproduced  in  the  French  jour- 
nals, the  following  note: 

"  Mr.  Gustave  Heine,  brother  of  the  famous 
Henri  Heine,  who  died  recently  in  Paris,  will 
raise  a  monument  to  his  brother  at  a  cost  of  ten 
thousand  francs.  Mr.  Gustave  Heine,  who  lives 
in  Vienna,  has  had  the  design  of  the  monument 
made  here ;  it  was  forwarded  to  Paris  yester- 
day." 

This  paragraph  was  in  itself  an  offense  quite 
serious  enough  ;  for  after  all,  without  having  an- 
nounced it  to  me,  a  notification  was  given  to  the 
public  of  a  purpose  which  affected  me  more  than 
any  other  person,  and  one  to  which  Mr.  Gustave 


34°  APPENDIX. 


Heine  could  only  give  effect  with  my  own  con- 
sent. 

And  indeed  at  first  I  considered  this  paragraph 
to  be  one  of  those  rumors  which  newspapers  cir- 
culate, and  which  have  nothing  exact  in  them. 
What  caused  me  to  think  that  was,  not  alone  my 
own  rights  ignored  and  propriety  trampled  under 
foot,  but  also,  and  particularly,  the  cost  of  the 
monument  so  proudly  placarded  in  a  newspaper 
article.  I  could  not  imagine  that  my  brother-in- 
law,  in  a  matter  so  sad  and  in  connection  with  an 
act  so  elevated  in  character,  so  sacred,  so  veritably 
religious,  would  wish  to  put  himself  in  the  way 
of  appearing  to  yield  to  a  motive  purely  ostenta- 
tious. My  first  care,  therefore,  was  to  answer 
this  paragraph  with  the  following  letter: 

"  PARIS,  March  ro,  1856. 
"  DEAR  SIR  : 

"  I  learn  that  you  have  reproduced  the  para- 
graph issued  by  the  Augsburg  Gazette  relating 
to  an  alleged  monument  which  Mr.  Gustave 
Heine  of  Vienna  was  proposing  to  erect  to  the 
memory  of  the  late  Henri  Heine,  my  husband. 

"  Permit  me  to  state  here,  sir,  that  I  have  bought 


APPENDIX.  341 


in  the  cemetery  of  Montmartre  a  lot  of  land  in 
order  to  establish  there  the  perpetual  sepulcher 
of  my  husband,  and  that  no  one  may  undertake 
to  raise  a  monument  there  without  having  made 
a  preliminary  arrangement  with  me.  Up  to  this 
moment  having  received  no  notification  of  the 
proceeding  mentioned  by  the  Augsburg  Gazette, 
it  is  certainly  allowable  for  me  to  add  that  this 
action,  to  which  the  German  papers  have  given 
some  circulation,  should  be  for  the  present  con- 
sidered by  the  public  of  no  effect. 
"  I  have  the  honor  etc., 

"  (signed)  WIDOW  HENRI  HEINE." 

After  he  read  that  letter  Mr.  Gustave  Heine 
might  have  repaired  everything;  he  ought  to 
have  tried.  He  ought  to  have  written  to  the 
papers  to  say  that  in  fact  he  did  have  the  inten- 
tion of  raising  a  monument  to  the  memory  of 
his  brother  but  he  meant  to  act  in  no  wise  out- 
side me  and  without  me.  Far  from  that,  he  has 
addressed  the  following  letter  to  the  Journal 
des  Dtbats: 


342  APPENDIX. 


"SIR: 

"  The  papers  have  announced  that  I  have 
the  intention  of  causing  a  monument  to  be 
erected  to  the  memory  of  my  brother  Henri 
Heine  and  that  the  designs  for  said  monument 
have  been  sent  on  to  Paris  to  be  carried  out. 

"  In  my  quality  of  elder  brother  of  the  deceased 
and  at  the  expressed  wish  of  my  venerable 
mother  I  shall  fulfill  the  sacred  duty  to  mark  for 
posterity  in  a  worthy  fashion  the  place  where 
those  famous  remains,  dear  to  my  affection,  lie 
buried.  To  that  end  I  have  commissioned  two 
celebrated  artists  of  Vienna  to  compose  two 
different  designs  for  monuments  in  marble  and 
granite ;  but  before  having  them  carried  out, 
moved  by  a  feeling  of  filial  piety,  I  have  con- 
sidered it  my  duty  to  send  the  designs  in  question 
to  Hamburg  in  order  to  obtain  the  advice  of  my 
mother  and  to  regulate  accordingly  my  final  choice. 

"GUSTAVE  HEINE, 
"Editor-in-Chief  of  the  Fremdenblatt. 

"  VIENNA,  March  14,  1856." 

This  time,  while  having  the  air  of  trampling  all 
my  rights  under  foot,  while  speaking  as  if  I  had 


APPENDIX.  343 


no  existence  or  as  if  I  had  deserved  that  the 
family  of  my  husband  should  put  me  to  one 
side  in  so  important  a  matter,  Mr.  Gustave 
Heine  himself  has  done  me  a  very  grave  injury. 
I  therefore  have  been  forced  to  come  to  a  de- 
cision. That  decision  is  that  no  one  save  my- 
self shall  continue  to  take  charge  of  the  beloved 
and  sacred  remains  of  my  poor  husband.  Con- 
sequently I  have  answered  the  Journal  des  ZV- 
bats  : 

"PARIS,  March  21,  1856. 
"  SIR  : 

"  In  my  letter  of  the  tenth  of  this  month  which 
you  have  had  the  kindness  to  publish  I  had 
the  honor  of  letting  you  know  that,  having  bought 
a  piece  of  land  in  order  to  establish  on  it  the  per- 
petual sepulcher  of  Henri  Heine,  my  husband,  no 
person  has  the  right  to  elevate  a  mausoleum  on 
that  grave  without  my  consent. 

"  To-day,  after  the  appearance  of  the  letter  from 
Vienna  which  you  inserted  in  your  number  of 
day  before  yesterday,  I  consider  that  I  ought  to 
go  further,  and  I  declare  that  I  shall  permit  no 
one  to  share  with  me  in  the  care  to  arrange  a 


344  APPENDIX. 


final  and  pious  abode  for  a  man  of  genius  who 
did  me  the  honor  of  associating  his  life  with 
mine  and  who  besides  kept  for  me  down  to  his 
last  day  his  finest  and  his  most  affectionate  re- 
gards. 

"  Accept,  etc., 

WIDOW  HENRI  HEINE." 

At  any  rate  I  have  had  the  consolation  of  find- 
ing here  among  the  newspapers  the  most  lively 
and  complete  sympathy.  I  have  seen  no  one  who 
has  not  seemed  indignant  that  anyone  should 
profit  by  a  moment  when  I  had  just  been  over- 
whelmed by  a  frightful  disaster  in  order  to  make 
me  suffer  through  attempts  at  persecution.  Peo- 
ple were  particularly  astonished  at  the  fact  that  the 
act  emanated  from  my  brother-in-law  and  was  di- 
rected against  a  woman.  People  knew  the  way 
in  which  my  husband  adored  me,  and  considered 
evil  acts  airrxed  at  his  widow  in  the  light  of  an 
outrage  to  his  memory.  There  was  nothing  in 
the  letter  of  my  brother-in-law,  even  to  the  part 
relating  to  my  mother-in-law,  which  did  not  give 
occasion  for  the  severest  blame.  People  gener- 
ally found  that  it  in  no  wise  lessened  the  insult 


APPENDIX.  345 


which  he  gave  me  to  put  it  under  the  cloak  of 
the  worthy  desires  of  my  venerated  mother-in- 
law,  whom  I  learned  from  my  husband  to  esteem 
and  love.  Finally,  some  people  went  so  far  as  to 
say  that  the  purpose  of  my  brother-in-law  was 
simply  a  desire  to  call  attention  to  himself  and 
in  no  respect  to  do  what  he  announced.  They 
furnish  proof  for  this  reasoning  by  saying  that 
the  man  who  desires  to  carry  a  thing  to  comple- 
tion does  not  voluntarily  place  himself  in  the  ab- 
solute impossibility  of  accomplishing  it,  by  doing 
outrage  without  any  sort  of  necessity  to  the  only 
person  who  has  the  power  to  grant  him  the  right. 
As  to  myself,  my  dear  nephew,  I  have  allowed 
all  this  to  be  said  without  aiding  it  with  my  own 
reflections.  Plunged  in  grief,  living  in  retire- 
ment, I  have  only  left  for  a  moment  and  to  my 
great  regret  the  profound  silence  which  I  have 
imposed  upon  myself  in  order  to  defend  my 
dignity  and  my  ignored  rights.  I  was  absolutely 
bound  to  do  so,  not  merely  with  regard  to 
myself,  but  also  with  regard  to  my  poor  husband, 
to  whose  wishes  and  to  whose  memory  I  would 
think  myself  but  little  faithful  if  I  permitted 
anyone,  whoever  he  might  be,  under  whatsoever 


346  APPENDIX. 


pretext,  to  aim  a  blow  at  the  rights  which  I  hold 
through  his  act,  and  should  I  degrade  in  my  per- 
son the  dignity  of  the  individual  whom  he  has 
loved  the  most. 

Accept,  my  dear  nephew,  etc., 

WIDOW  HENRI  HEINE. 

PARIS,  March,  1856. 
MY  DEAR  NEPHEW  : 

In  special  answer  to  your  letter  you  seem  as- 
tonished because  Mr.  Joubert  has  not  written 
to  you  and  because  I  have  not  myself  sent  you 
the  papers  and  the  few  remaining  letters  which 
my  husband  had  preserved.  Allow  me  to  observe 
to  you  that  the  honorable  Mr.  Joubert  had  no 
reason  to  write;  he  was  merely  to  send  you  a 
copy  of  the  will  if  one  was  asked  from  him,  and 
that  is  what  he  did.  Moreover  he  was  waiting 
for  you  to  send  him,  or  for  you  to  forward  to  me 
in  person  the  instructions  which  my  husband 
wished  to  send  you  when  he  made  his  will, 
instructions  without  which  the  orders  which  he 
gives  you  are  entirely  impossible  to  carry  out 
and  in  consequence  become  of  no  effect,  now  it 
appears  from  your  letter  that  you  have  not 


APPENDIX.  347 


received  those  instructions,  you  therefore  beg 
me  to  send  them  to  you,  believing  in  error  that 
I  have  them.  I  have  nothing  of  the  kind  and 
have  never  had  them,  nay  more,  while  classify- 
ing my  husband's  papers  I  went  over  them  one  by 
one  and  found  nothing  which  resembled  instruc- 
tions. After  all,  that  does  not  surprise  me.  I 
knew  that  my  husband  had  changed  his  mind 
after  his  will,  especially  since  last  summer;  he 
had  decided  to  leave  to  me  myself  the  liberty  of 
disposing  of  all  manuscripts  as  I  thought  fit. 
He  told  me  that  very  often,  and  it  is  proved 
moreover  by  a  will  which  he  had  begun  a  few 
days  before  dying  and  which  death,  alas !  inter- 
rupted. In  that  draft,  written  with  his  own 
hand,  my  poor  husband  is  not  content  with  insti- 
tuting me  once  more  his  universal  legatee  with- 
out condition  or  restriction  ;  he  goes  so  far  as 
to  give  me,  by  the  public  homage  which  he 
renders  me,  a  fresh  mark  of  that  lofty  esteem 
and  that  steady  and  unchangeable  sympathy 
which  united  us  so  closely  for  so  long  a  term  of 
years.  It  is  a  sweet  consolation  and  a  very 
lively  happiness  for  my  heart  to  think  that  up  to 
his  last  moment  I  was  the  most  active  and 


APPENDIX. 


almost  sole  preoccupation  of  a  great  man  and  of 
a  great  man  whom  I  loved. 

There  only  remains  for  me,  dear  nephew,  to 
express  well  to  you  the  feelings  of  gratitude 
with  which  I  am  filled  when  thinking  over  the 
words  of  devotion  and  love  which  your  letter 
contains.  Be  well  assured  that  I  in  my  turn 
remember  with  pleasure  my  nephew  Ludwig,  and 
that  I  hope  to  hear  good  news  from  him  when- 
ever the  occasion  serves. 

Accept,  I  pray  you,  my  dear  nephew,  and  be 
so  good  as  to  offer  to  all  Your  family  assurances 
of  my  most  distinguished  sentiments. 

WIDOW  HENRI  HEINE. 

PARIS,  February  20,  1867. 
To  Mr.  Jules  Claretie, 
SIR:  The  Figaro. 

How  do  you  know  of  the  lawsuit  which  I  have 
begun  against  Mr.  Michel  L£vy?  I  live  in  great 
retirement  and  make  no  noise  concerning  the 
sentiment  which  has  impelled  me  to  avenge  the 
memory  of  my  husband  hatefully  outraged. 

So  it  is  my  adversary  who  has  plead  his  case 


APPENDIX.  349 


before  you,  and  his  arguments — with  none  to 
answer — have  caused  you  to  write  these 
words : 

"  I  am  fain  to  believe  that  Mme.  Heine,  per- 
ceiving that  she  has  been  ill  counseled,  will  not 
push  the  matter  farther.  .  .  " 

You  are  mistaken,  sir — in  a  suit  of  this  kind 
counselors  are  only  of  use  to  point  out  my 
path  ;  I  act  spontaneously,  strong  in  my  own 
conscience,  not  for  a  matter  of  money,  but  for  a 
question  of  honor.  For  your  personal  instruc- 
tion here  are  the  facts : 

Men  of  letters,  I  have  often  heard  it  said,  are 
little  boys  in  business  matters  in  comparison  with 
Messieurs  the  publishers.  Consider  then  my  in- 
experience as  a  mere  woman  when  I  negotiated 
with  Mr.  Michel  Le"vy  ! 

But  he  was  so  kind,  so  thoughtful  that  I  did 
not  dream  of  being  on  my  guard.  One  day, 
touched  by  his  solicitude,  I  told  him  that  people 
were  publishing  my  husband's  letters  in  foreign 
parts,  letters  pretending  to  be  private  but  rather 
fabricated.  I  was  sorrowful  enough ;  but  how 
can  one  enter  suit  in  Germany !  Get  those 
books  for  me,  answered  Mr.  Le>y,  and  I  will  go 


35°  APPENDIX. 


and  ask  one  hundred  thousand  francs  of  damages 
from  the  publisher  for  you. 

I  mention  these  figures  in  order  to  be  the 
more  exact :  I  only  wanted  one  thing,  to  stop 
the  publication,  and  I  had  the  good  luck  to 
meet  a  protector  in  order  to  reach  my  ends  ! 
Having  made  inquiry  I  bought  seven  volumes  in 
German  which  I  gave  to  him. 

Months,  years  passed.  I  asked  Mr.  Michel 
LeVy  for  the  books  which  I  had  intrusted  to  him, 
since  he  did  nothing  in  defense  of  my  rights, 
but  he  was  always  so  much  occupied  and  the 
pamphlets  were  so  far  off  on  the  shelves  that  I 
had  patience  and  waited  still  longer,  when  I  heard 
very  indirectly  that  Mr.  Michel  Levy  was  pub- 
lishing these  letters,  fabricated  and  translated, 
which  excited  his  anger  at  an  earlier  period. 
Whence  a  suit,  and  without  saying  anything  bad 
of  the  judges  in  Berlin,  I  shall  find  my  judges 
this  time  in  Paris  :  the  aim  seems  to  me  less  diffi- 
cult of  attainment. 

Do  you  know  of  these  facts,  sir?  I  am  sure 
in  advance  that  you  do  not,  and  nevertheless 
they  are  mentioned  in  my  summons. 

You  shall  no  longer  have  the  right  to  laugh  at 


APPENDIX.  351 


me.  In  your  turn  you  played  the  game  of  Mr. 
Michel  LeVy.  You  thought  he  was  relating  to 
you  a  singular  suit,  and  he  only  desired  ten  lines 
in  your  newspaper,  knowing  well  that,  written 
by  you,  they  would  be  a  recommendation  which 
would  cause  a  quantity  of  books  to  be  sold  for  him 
before  the  verdict  of  the  court.  I  beg  you, 
sir,  to  insert  this  letter  in  your  next  number. 
I  do  not  speak  to  you  of  my  rights  :  it  is  a 
prayer  I  address  to  you  with  an  expression  of  my 

best  sentiments. 

WIDOW  HENRI  HEINE. 


IV 

PARIS,  February  22,  1867. 
To  Mr.  Jules  Claretie, 

Editor  of  the  Figaro. 
SIR: 

The  reflections  which  the  lawsuit  instituted 
against  us  by  Mme.  Widow  Heine  has  inspired 
in  you,  with  respect  to  the  Correspondence  of 
her  husband,  the  first  two  volumes  of  which  we 
recently  published,  have  brought  forth  a  pre- 
tended rectification  signed  by  that  lady ;  she 
accuses  you  of  having  made  yourself  my  com- 
plaisant advocate  with  an  aim  at  a  mercantile 
advertisement. 

In  so  far  as  touches  the  accusation  of  com- 
plaisance, you  know,  sir,  how  gratuitous  the  sup- 
position of  Mme.  Heine  is,  and  whether  I  have 
the  honor  of  knowing  you  sufficiently  to  be 
justified  in  asking  a  service  from  you. 

As  to  the  grounds  of  debate  it  is  not  in  a  news- 
paper that  it  is  proper  to  consider  them  in  de- 
tail. This  is  what  I  shall  confine  myself  to  say- 


APPENDIX.  353 


ing  for  sole  justification.  Article  I.  of  the  con- 
tract which  I  concluded  with  Mme.  Heine  the 
twenty-eighth  of  January  1865  reads  as  follows: 

"  i.  The  full  and  entire  ownership  of  all  the 
works  of  Henri  Heine  appeared  or  still  to  appear. 

"  2.  The  exclusive  right  of  translation  into 
French  of  all  the  works  of  Henri  Heine  pub- 
lished in  the  German  language. 

"  3.  The  right  of  translation  into  French  of  all 
the  works  of  Henri  Heine,  posthumous  and  un- 
published, which  have  just  appeared." 

By  virtue  of  the  rights  which  this  article  in- 
trusts so  explicitly  to  me,  I  caused  to  be  translated 
the  "Correspondence  of  Henri  Heine,"  which 
forms  the  volumes  xix,  xx,  and  xxi,  of  the 
original  edition  of  the  complete  works  of  Henri 
Heine,  published  at  Hamburg  by  Hoffmann  & 
Campe,  grantees  from  Mme.  Widow  Heine  by 
the  same  right  as  myself  and  the  German  pub- 
lishers of  her  husband  for  more  than  forty  years, 
just  as  I  am  myself  his  French  publisher  since 
about  fourteen  years.  This  origin  of  my  transla- 
tion is  a  concrete  fact,  easy  to  corroborate,  and 
one  which  apparently  Mme.  Heine  or  rather  the 
persons  who  advise  her  have  not  taken  the  trouble 


354  APPENDIX. 


to  verify,  but  one  which  the  wisdom  of  the  bench 
will  not  fail  to  examine  into. 

An  unauthorized  edition  of  certain  works  of 
Henri  Heine  was  published  in  seven  volumes  at 
Amsterdam  by  Binger  Brothers.  This  edition 
was  in  truth  called  to  my  attention  by  Mme. 
Heine  two  or  three  years  ago,  who  placed  in  my 
hands  a  copy  as  a  document  to  produce,  in  case 
I  judged  it  proper  to  attack  the  publishers  at 
law.  But  I  have  borrowed  absolutely  nothing 
from  that  edition,  I  never  caused  a  single  line  to 
be  translated,  and  this  I  should  have  proved  to 
Mme.  Heine  if  she,  before  sending  me  a  sum- 
mons, had  been  so  kind  as  to  come  and  see  me, 
as  perhaps  my  pleasant  relations  with  her  might 
have  urged  her  to  do. 

I  still  hope  that,  convinced  of  my  good  faith 
from  the  palpable  proofs  with  which  I  confront 
her,  Mme.  Heine  will  withdraw  the  complaint 
which  certain  awkward  givers  of  advice  have 
caused  her  to  enter  so  lightly  against  me. 

Receive,  sir,  assurance  of  my  most  distin- 
guished consideration. 

MICHEL  LEVY, 


APPENDIX.  355 


P.  S. — Mme.  Heine  speaks  of  her  inexperience 
and  gives  to  understand  that  I  got  the  better  of 
her  at  the  time  of  the  conclusion  of  our  contract. 
Now  it  was  not  with  her  personally  that  I  ne- 
gotiated the  matter  ;  it  was  with  Mr.  von  Embden 
of  Hamburg,  nephew  and  friend  of  Henri  Heine, 
whom  she  had  intrusted  with  her  interests  and 
who  came  to  Paris  expressly  to  reach  an  under- 
standing with  me.  Mme.  Heine  only  had  the 
trouble  of  placing  her  signature  at  the  foot  of 
the  contract,  just  as  doubtless  happened  with  the 
letters  which  she  wrote  you. 


V 
CONTRACT  WITH  MESSRS.  HOFFMANN  &  CAMPE 

in     re     THE    LITERARY    REMAINS     OF     HENRI 

HEINE. 

(Translated  from  the  French.) 

1.  For  the  sum   of  ten  thousand  francs,  the 
posthumous  works  of    Henri  Heine,  which  are 
at  present  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  von  Embden. 

2.  Mme.  H.  Heine   Widow  declares  that  she 
possesses  nothing  more  in  the  way  of  poems  or 
other  literary   product  of   H.  Heine,   except  a 
fragment   of  memoirs,  and   (this)    she   will  not 
publish  for  the  present. 

3.  She    also  authorizes    Messrs.    Hoffmann  & 
Campe  to  call  to  account  whomsoever  it  may  be 
who  shall  publish  still  other  unpublished  matter, 
naturally   at  the  cost   and   expense   of   Messrs. 
Hoffmann  &  Campe. 

HAMBURG,  August  16,  1869. 


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